  With a view towards future applications in nuclear physics, the fermion
realization of the compact symplectic sp(4) algebra and its q-deformed versions
are investigated. Three important reduction chains of the sp(4) algebra are
explored in both the classical and deformed cases. The deformed realizations
are based on distinct deformations of the fermion creation and annihilation
operators. For the primary reduction, the su(2) sub-structure can be
interpreted as either the spin, isospin or angular momentum algebra, whereas
for the other two reductions su(2) can be associated with pairing between
fermions of the same type or pairing between two distinct fermion types. Each
reduction provides for a complete classification of the basis states. The
deformed induced u(2) representations are reducible in the action spaces of
sp(4) and are decomposed into irreducible representations.
