Nicaragua has been traditionally dedicated to agriculture and cattle. Fisheries is a new but growing activity, specially shrimp aquaculture. This new age of fisheries in Nicaragua has incresed the demend for technology and information in order to increase product quality. Among shrimp farmers, small producers are very significant. Most of them do not have the resources, the training nor the technology to develop a high quality fishery. Furtherrmore, they develop their fisheries in one of the poorest region of the country, where natural resources only allow for this type of economical activity.

Due to the problems small producers were facing, the University of Central America, along with aid from the Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA), developed the project Research form Shrimp. This projects targets over 150 small producing cooperatives of shrimp farmers.

During the year 1996, the CIDEA begins operating in the areas of research, formal training, technical assistance, and credit lines to small shrimp producers. This program was set up to be completed in three years. At the end of the program, the industry in general grew and the role of the University was even more in need. It is at this point where a more formal Research Center was created. New laboratories are set up in order to provide high quality service for the shrimp industry, whom used to send their samples to laboratories out side of the country, before CIDEA set up their facilities. 

During the year of 1999, a new phase begins. It was a year of auto-sustainability, diversifacation of activities, more donors and agencies are incorporated, such as The United States Agency for International Development (US AID), The European Union in a new program targeting food security, and the relationship with JICA is strengthen.

A series of universities also partnered up with CIDEA. Universities of Hawaii-Hilo, University of Auburn, University of Florida, University of Puerto Rico, among others.

The increase demand and the flow of diversification of activities and projects, allowed us to create an even more broad Center, which we call now The Research Center for Aquatic Ecosystems (CIDEA). Several activities such as fisheries of mollusks, fish and the management of coastal eocosystem and water quality research, are among our most important areas of focus for the future.