Opening Paragraph:
The contents of aquaculture ponds are sometimes a mystery. After stocking, the inventory of fish is unknown until the pond is harvested and drained. At harvest time, producers often discover far fewer fish in the pond than they expected. This "disappearing fish" phenomenon has been called the "black hole syndrome". Probable reasons for fish loss include predation, cannibalism, and undetected disease. Without reliable estimates of the numbers and size distributions of fish in the ponds, producers cannot accurately project harvests. Lenders may be reluctant to extend credit unless they have confidence in a producer's inventory estimates and harvest projections.