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Biology and Ecology of the Brown and Sea Trout
Fisheries Research 47 (2000) 97±100
Book reviews Biology and Ecology of the Brown and Sea Trout J.L. BaglinieÁre, G. Maisse (Eds.); Springer, Heidelberg, in association with Praxis Publishing Ltd., Chichester, 1999, vii286 pp., ISBN 1-85233-117-8, £ 45 (hbk) This book originated from a colloquium on trout, held in France from 6 to 8 September 1988. Some of the presentations were published in two editions of the Bulletin Franc,ais de PeÃche et de Pisciculture (Nos. 318 and 319, and the special Trout Colloquium edition). Other presentations formed the basis of the chapters for the book La Truite, Biologie et EÂcologie, published in 1991. The present book is essentially a translation of this earlier text, but some attempt has been made to bring it up-to-date. As it is nearly 10 years since the appearance of the original French text, these additions will be mentioned when considering each chapter. There are eight chapters arranged in three parts, and two short introductory and concluding chapters. Fifteen authors were responsible for the writing; 12 were from France, two from Switzerland and one from Morocco. Their addresses were provided in the French versionbutareomittedfrom the new version.A welcome addition is a fairly comprehensive index. The introductory chapter by the ®rst of the editors is a brief review of the origin, distribution, and the economic and scienti®c signi®cance of the brown trout. One peculiarity of this chapter is that none of the ®gures have legends, unlike those in the rest of the book. Only six new references have been added to the 40 in the 1991 edition. The chapter ends by summarising the content of the rest of the book and emphasising that it essentially covers different aspects of the biology and ecology of the brown trout in France. This negates the criticism that the book is biased to French research, because that is its chief objective!
Four chapters form Part I on the river trout. The ®rst is a comprehensive review of the biology of brown trout in French rivers. This is a particularly useful review for those scientists who are unable to read the French scienti®c literature. Only three references have been added to the original 49 of the 1991 edition, and two of the three are French theses that are generally not available. Surely, more important publications on French trout have appeared in the last 10 years. The second chapter in this part considers the habitat of the brown trout, but is not restricted to the French literature. It has a confusing introduction that refers to chapters 1±5, which I assume should be Sections II±VI. Once this problem is resolved, the logical organisation becomes clear and the whole forms a comprehensive and valuable review. Thirty-eight references have been added to the 1991 list, producing an impressive total of 186. This chapter must be one of the best reviews of work on trout habitat, and should be essential reading for all those interested in salmonid ®sheries. The third, shorter, chapter in this part reviews the feeding strategy of brown trout in running water. No new references appear to have been added to the 146 of the original chapter. This is unfortunate, because a large amount of literature has appeared in this ®eld in the last 10 years. The fourth, and last, chapter in this part reviews social organisation and territoriality in juvenile brown trout. Although 14 new references have been added to the 89 of the 1991 list, I feel that this chapter could have been expanded to include more recent work on the critical period for survival and topics such as self-thinning in salmonids. However, the chapter is a useful review and is an especially valuable summary of the excellent work of its author, M. HeÂland. Three chapters form Part II on ecological plasticity and genetic diversity in brown trout. The ®rst is a site-
0165-7836/00/$ ± see front matter # 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
98
Book reviews
speci®c case-study of the brown trout of Lake LeÂman (Geneva) and some of its tributaries. No new references appear to have been added to the earlier version. Surely, there must have been more work published on the trout of this lake in the last 10 years. The second chapter is a region-speci®c case-study of the sea trout in Normandy and Picardy. Only two new references have been added to the original 69. Both these chapters are useful because they summarise a large amount of literature, mostly published in French and therefore previously ignored by many ®sh biologists. The last chapter in this part reviews genetic diversity and the management of natural populations of brown trout. This is a very broad ®eld that is advancing rapidly, especially in the genetic identity of different stocks of trout. It is, therefore, rather disappointing that only four references have been added to the original 41. An opportunity to produce an up-to-date review on trout genetics has been lost. There is only one chapter in Part III which has the title The Management of Natural Populations of Brown Trout. The single chapter is a long, historic review of trout management in France from 1669 to 1986! Parts of this chapter are of general interest, but it certainly does not cover the title of Part III. The concluding chapter by the editors does consider current ideas on the biological basis for management of brown trout populations, but can only deal brie¯y with the main points in less than ®ve pages, with only 19 references. An opportunity has been missed to produce a comprehensive section dealing with different aspects of brown trout management which would have enhanced the value of the book, especially to those responsible for the management of brown trout ®sheries. The chief value of this book is that it presents a large amount of information previously published in French. As mentioned earlier, this should be particularly valuable to those who are unable (or cannot be bothered!) to read the French scienti®c literature. There is a large amount of valuable research on salmonids in France and it is unfortunate that this work is often ignored by non-French speakers. The case-studies in the book are especially valuable. However, the book is based on one published nearly 10 years ago, and although some of the authors have brought their chapters up-to-date, others have not. Some of the chapters are essential reading and the book provides much that is of value to all those responsible for brown
trout management, including commerical and sport ®sheries. It is therefore recommended as a text for students, research workers and managers. J. Malcolm Elliott The Windermere Laboratory Institute of Freshwater Ecology NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Ambleside Cumbria LA 22 0LP, UK PII: S 0 1 6 5 - 7 8 3 6 ( 0 0 ) 0 0 1 2 0 - X
Review of Northeast Fishery Stock Assessments National Research Council; National Academy Press, Washington DC, 1998, 128 pages; £30.95, paperback, ISBN 0-309-06030-3 The widespread declines of ®sh stocks around the world has brought ®sh stock assessment science under the scrutiny of both ®shermen and environmentalists. For ®shermen, the science is perceived as the reason for the imposition of ever increasing restrictions which have direct and adverse effects on their livelihoods. On the contrary, many environmentalists see ®shery science as blinkered, serving only the interests of the ®shing industry at the expense of broader ecosystem concerns. As the state of ®sh stocks deteriorates, it is inevitable that these parties increasingly question the validity of the science and the advice emanating from it. In response to this, ®sheries scientists have recognised the need to demonstrate that assessment science is performed to the highest standards possible, is independent and objective. One element of this response is to ensure that stock assessments are regularly peer reviewed. This book is the report of one of these exercises to examine the assessments of Northeast Atlantic ground®sh stocks conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) at Woods Hole, USA. The review was carried out by the National Research Council (NRC) under a mandate from Congress with a committee composed mainly of academics. The expertise of the committee ranged from mathematics to genetics but with a good representation of applied ®sheries experts. Their report sets out a useful history of the development of the ®sheries and the associated management. It then goes on to
Book reviews Biology and Ecology of the Brown and Sea Trout J.L. BaglinieÁre, G. Maisse (Eds.); Springer, Heidelberg, in association with Praxis Publishing Ltd., Chichester, 1999, vii286 pp., ISBN 1-85233-117-8, £ 45 (hbk) This book originated from a colloquium on trout, held in France from 6 to 8 September 1988. Some of the presentations were published in two editions of the Bulletin Franc,ais de PeÃche et de Pisciculture (Nos. 318 and 319, and the special Trout Colloquium edition). Other presentations formed the basis of the chapters for the book La Truite, Biologie et EÂcologie, published in 1991. The present book is essentially a translation of this earlier text, but some attempt has been made to bring it up-to-date. As it is nearly 10 years since the appearance of the original French text, these additions will be mentioned when considering each chapter. There are eight chapters arranged in three parts, and two short introductory and concluding chapters. Fifteen authors were responsible for the writing; 12 were from France, two from Switzerland and one from Morocco. Their addresses were provided in the French versionbutareomittedfrom the new version.A welcome addition is a fairly comprehensive index. The introductory chapter by the ®rst of the editors is a brief review of the origin, distribution, and the economic and scienti®c signi®cance of the brown trout. One peculiarity of this chapter is that none of the ®gures have legends, unlike those in the rest of the book. Only six new references have been added to the 40 in the 1991 edition. The chapter ends by summarising the content of the rest of the book and emphasising that it essentially covers different aspects of the biology and ecology of the brown trout in France. This negates the criticism that the book is biased to French research, because that is its chief objective!
Four chapters form Part I on the river trout. The ®rst is a comprehensive review of the biology of brown trout in French rivers. This is a particularly useful review for those scientists who are unable to read the French scienti®c literature. Only three references have been added to the original 49 of the 1991 edition, and two of the three are French theses that are generally not available. Surely, more important publications on French trout have appeared in the last 10 years. The second chapter in this part considers the habitat of the brown trout, but is not restricted to the French literature. It has a confusing introduction that refers to chapters 1±5, which I assume should be Sections II±VI. Once this problem is resolved, the logical organisation becomes clear and the whole forms a comprehensive and valuable review. Thirty-eight references have been added to the 1991 list, producing an impressive total of 186. This chapter must be one of the best reviews of work on trout habitat, and should be essential reading for all those interested in salmonid ®sheries. The third, shorter, chapter in this part reviews the feeding strategy of brown trout in running water. No new references appear to have been added to the 146 of the original chapter. This is unfortunate, because a large amount of literature has appeared in this ®eld in the last 10 years. The fourth, and last, chapter in this part reviews social organisation and territoriality in juvenile brown trout. Although 14 new references have been added to the 89 of the 1991 list, I feel that this chapter could have been expanded to include more recent work on the critical period for survival and topics such as self-thinning in salmonids. However, the chapter is a useful review and is an especially valuable summary of the excellent work of its author, M. HeÂland. Three chapters form Part II on ecological plasticity and genetic diversity in brown trout. The ®rst is a site-
0165-7836/00/$ ± see front matter # 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
98
Book reviews
speci®c case-study of the brown trout of Lake LeÂman (Geneva) and some of its tributaries. No new references appear to have been added to the earlier version. Surely, there must have been more work published on the trout of this lake in the last 10 years. The second chapter is a region-speci®c case-study of the sea trout in Normandy and Picardy. Only two new references have been added to the original 69. Both these chapters are useful because they summarise a large amount of literature, mostly published in French and therefore previously ignored by many ®sh biologists. The last chapter in this part reviews genetic diversity and the management of natural populations of brown trout. This is a very broad ®eld that is advancing rapidly, especially in the genetic identity of different stocks of trout. It is, therefore, rather disappointing that only four references have been added to the original 41. An opportunity to produce an up-to-date review on trout genetics has been lost. There is only one chapter in Part III which has the title The Management of Natural Populations of Brown Trout. The single chapter is a long, historic review of trout management in France from 1669 to 1986! Parts of this chapter are of general interest, but it certainly does not cover the title of Part III. The concluding chapter by the editors does consider current ideas on the biological basis for management of brown trout populations, but can only deal brie¯y with the main points in less than ®ve pages, with only 19 references. An opportunity has been missed to produce a comprehensive section dealing with different aspects of brown trout management which would have enhanced the value of the book, especially to those responsible for the management of brown trout ®sheries. The chief value of this book is that it presents a large amount of information previously published in French. As mentioned earlier, this should be particularly valuable to those who are unable (or cannot be bothered!) to read the French scienti®c literature. There is a large amount of valuable research on salmonids in France and it is unfortunate that this work is often ignored by non-French speakers. The case-studies in the book are especially valuable. However, the book is based on one published nearly 10 years ago, and although some of the authors have brought their chapters up-to-date, others have not. Some of the chapters are essential reading and the book provides much that is of value to all those responsible for brown
trout management, including commerical and sport ®sheries. It is therefore recommended as a text for students, research workers and managers. J. Malcolm Elliott The Windermere Laboratory Institute of Freshwater Ecology NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Ambleside Cumbria LA 22 0LP, UK PII: S 0 1 6 5 - 7 8 3 6 ( 0 0 ) 0 0 1 2 0 - X
Review of Northeast Fishery Stock Assessments National Research Council; National Academy Press, Washington DC, 1998, 128 pages; £30.95, paperback, ISBN 0-309-06030-3 The widespread declines of ®sh stocks around the world has brought ®sh stock assessment science under the scrutiny of both ®shermen and environmentalists. For ®shermen, the science is perceived as the reason for the imposition of ever increasing restrictions which have direct and adverse effects on their livelihoods. On the contrary, many environmentalists see ®shery science as blinkered, serving only the interests of the ®shing industry at the expense of broader ecosystem concerns. As the state of ®sh stocks deteriorates, it is inevitable that these parties increasingly question the validity of the science and the advice emanating from it. In response to this, ®sheries scientists have recognised the need to demonstrate that assessment science is performed to the highest standards possible, is independent and objective. One element of this response is to ensure that stock assessments are regularly peer reviewed. This book is the report of one of these exercises to examine the assessments of Northeast Atlantic ground®sh stocks conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) at Woods Hole, USA. The review was carried out by the National Research Council (NRC) under a mandate from Congress with a committee composed mainly of academics. The expertise of the committee ranged from mathematics to genetics but with a good representation of applied ®sheries experts. Their report sets out a useful history of the development of the ®sheries and the associated management. It then goes on to