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Introduction to aquaculture
368
BOOK REVIEWS
mon theme was developed for this volume. It would seem to me that the series could be improved by selecting a major topic or theme for each future volume of the series, e.g. nitrogen metabolism, lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, protein synthesis, membrane structure and function, transport mechanisms, etc. I found the various chapters in this volume to be well written. Each topic appeared to be reviewed in a comprehensive manner with current citations. Most chapters are well illustrated with excellent ligures, line drawings and photographs. A nice balance between theoretical concepts and experimental findings was evident in most chapters. Some authors also included in their chapter some rather specific experiments that are needed to help clarify certain topics. Some duplication or overlap of topics was apparent in chapters 3, 6 and 8; however, this is not a major problem. As indicated above I found this book to be very informative; however, I doubt if many aquaculturists will find it very useful. Regardless of the intent of this series, I would suggest that both comparative biochemists and comparative physiologists who are interested in fish will lind this volume a welcome addition to their libraries. ROBERT P. WILSON
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
AQUA 20046 INTRODUCTION TO AQUACULTURE
Introduction to Aquaculture. Matthew Landau. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1992. 440 pp., price E15.95, ISBN o-471-57020-6. Landau’s book brings together an extensive quantity of information on aquaculture. It has 13 chapters arranged in a non-biological, a biological and a business part. In the first part the properties and quality of water as well as the culture systems are treated. The structure of a water molecule, pH, hardness, BOD, nutrients, turbidity and other characteristics are outlined. The culture methods are classified in open systems, semi-closed systems and nontraditional systems. An extensively illustrated chapter on various types of pumps as well as a chapter on biological filters is included. In the second part the general biological concepts pertaining to aquaculture are discussed: pathology, predation, food web, genetics, nutrition and topics of interest. In the subsequent chapters the culture of mussels, oysters, clams, abalone, penaeid shrimps, crawfish, macrobrachium, cattish, carp, trout, bait fish, large-mouth
BOOK REVIEWS
369
bass, anguillid eels, tilapia, mullet, yellowtail, flatlish, milkfish, salmon, striped bass is described. In the third part the laws that may affect the aquaculture industry are mentioned. Common, international, federal and local laws are discussed in terms of pollution of waterways, consumer health and building permits. The last chapter presents an economic model for a small familyowned macrobachium farm and a Florida shrimp farm. Economic and biological efficiency are discussed as different concepts. A great number of appendices dealing with miscellaneous topics such as fluid mechanics, recombinant DNA and genetic engineering, feed formulas, other cultured molluscs, crustaceans, fish and higher vertebrates forms the end of the book. The author’s comment on the book “We will consider it to be a blend of fisheries biology, agriculture, limnology, oceanography, chemistry, animal and plant physology, physics, engineering, law and business” is, indeed, a relevant statement. The book is clearly the result of library research and offers the reader sometimes basic information, so to say, at grammar school level, but also very specific and detailed information. As with most single-authored texts that attempt to summa&e all of the major disciplines in a particular field, there are shortcomings in those areas that are not within the scope of the author’s expertise. Several chapters deprive the reader of the relevant and recent literature citations. The book is very much directed to the U.S. situation and this holds particularly for the second and third parts of the book. The author has certainly succeeded in making a readable text for persons who are not familiar with aquaculture but the book itself does not offer either a new approach or a new concept of aquaculture. It is a policy of John Wiley & Sons to print books on acid-free paper for the importance of preservation. However, care should also be taken to reproduce the photographs properly and to ensure that the offset printing of the text turns out uniformly. The book is available for a low price. CAREL J.J.,RICHTER
Wageningen Agricultural University, Dept. Fish Culture and Fisheries, P. 0. Box 338, 6 700 AH Wageningen, Netherlands
BOOK REVIEWS
mon theme was developed for this volume. It would seem to me that the series could be improved by selecting a major topic or theme for each future volume of the series, e.g. nitrogen metabolism, lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, protein synthesis, membrane structure and function, transport mechanisms, etc. I found the various chapters in this volume to be well written. Each topic appeared to be reviewed in a comprehensive manner with current citations. Most chapters are well illustrated with excellent ligures, line drawings and photographs. A nice balance between theoretical concepts and experimental findings was evident in most chapters. Some authors also included in their chapter some rather specific experiments that are needed to help clarify certain topics. Some duplication or overlap of topics was apparent in chapters 3, 6 and 8; however, this is not a major problem. As indicated above I found this book to be very informative; however, I doubt if many aquaculturists will find it very useful. Regardless of the intent of this series, I would suggest that both comparative biochemists and comparative physiologists who are interested in fish will lind this volume a welcome addition to their libraries. ROBERT P. WILSON
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
AQUA 20046 INTRODUCTION TO AQUACULTURE
Introduction to Aquaculture. Matthew Landau. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1992. 440 pp., price E15.95, ISBN o-471-57020-6. Landau’s book brings together an extensive quantity of information on aquaculture. It has 13 chapters arranged in a non-biological, a biological and a business part. In the first part the properties and quality of water as well as the culture systems are treated. The structure of a water molecule, pH, hardness, BOD, nutrients, turbidity and other characteristics are outlined. The culture methods are classified in open systems, semi-closed systems and nontraditional systems. An extensively illustrated chapter on various types of pumps as well as a chapter on biological filters is included. In the second part the general biological concepts pertaining to aquaculture are discussed: pathology, predation, food web, genetics, nutrition and topics of interest. In the subsequent chapters the culture of mussels, oysters, clams, abalone, penaeid shrimps, crawfish, macrobrachium, cattish, carp, trout, bait fish, large-mouth
BOOK REVIEWS
369
bass, anguillid eels, tilapia, mullet, yellowtail, flatlish, milkfish, salmon, striped bass is described. In the third part the laws that may affect the aquaculture industry are mentioned. Common, international, federal and local laws are discussed in terms of pollution of waterways, consumer health and building permits. The last chapter presents an economic model for a small familyowned macrobachium farm and a Florida shrimp farm. Economic and biological efficiency are discussed as different concepts. A great number of appendices dealing with miscellaneous topics such as fluid mechanics, recombinant DNA and genetic engineering, feed formulas, other cultured molluscs, crustaceans, fish and higher vertebrates forms the end of the book. The author’s comment on the book “We will consider it to be a blend of fisheries biology, agriculture, limnology, oceanography, chemistry, animal and plant physology, physics, engineering, law and business” is, indeed, a relevant statement. The book is clearly the result of library research and offers the reader sometimes basic information, so to say, at grammar school level, but also very specific and detailed information. As with most single-authored texts that attempt to summa&e all of the major disciplines in a particular field, there are shortcomings in those areas that are not within the scope of the author’s expertise. Several chapters deprive the reader of the relevant and recent literature citations. The book is very much directed to the U.S. situation and this holds particularly for the second and third parts of the book. The author has certainly succeeded in making a readable text for persons who are not familiar with aquaculture but the book itself does not offer either a new approach or a new concept of aquaculture. It is a policy of John Wiley & Sons to print books on acid-free paper for the importance of preservation. However, care should also be taken to reproduce the photographs properly and to ensure that the offset printing of the text turns out uniformly. The book is available for a low price. CAREL J.J.,RICHTER
Wageningen Agricultural University, Dept. Fish Culture and Fisheries, P. 0. Box 338, 6 700 AH Wageningen, Netherlands