Although aquaculture as a biological production system has a long history, systematic and efficient breeding programs to improve economically important traits in the farmed species have rarely been utilized until recently, except for salmonid species. This means that the majority of aquaculture production (more than 90 %) is based on genetically unimproved stocks. In farm animals the situation is vastly different: practically no terrestrial farm production is based on genetically unimproved and undomesticated populations. This difference between aquaculture and livestock production is in spite of the fact that the basic elements of breeding theory are the same for fish and shellfish as for farm animals. One possible reason for the difference is the complexity of reproductive biology in aquatic species, and special consideration needs to be taken in the design of breeding plans for these species. Since 1971 AKVAFORSK, has continuously carried out large scale breeding research projects with salmonid species, and during the latest 15 years also with a number of fresh water and marine species. Results from this work and the results from other institutions around the world have brought forward considerable knowledge, which make the development of efficient breeding programs feasible. The genetic improvement obtained in selection programs for fish and shellfish is remarkable and much higher than what has been achieved in terrestrial farm animals.

Published in Cooperation with THE UNITED STATES AQUACULTURE SOCIETY As aquaculture production continues to grow and develop there is a continuous search for new species to culture to be able to fully exploit new national and international markets. Species selection for aquaculture development often poses an enormous challenge for decision makers who must decide which species and culture technologies to support with public resources, and then how best to divide those resources. Species and System Selection for Sustainable Aquaculture brings together contributions from international experts with experience in identifying potential species and production systems for sustainable aquaculture with a socioeconomic focus. The book is divided into three sections: Principles, Practices, and Species-Specific Public Policy for Sustainable Development. An outgrowth of a workshop held as part of the Aquaculture Interchange Program with examples from around the globe carefully edited by PingSun Leung, Pat O'Bryen, and Cheng-Sheng Lee this volume will be an important reference for all researchers, professionals, economists, and policy-makers involved in selecting new species for the development of sustainable aquaculture.

Captive Seawater Fishes: Science and Technology Stephen Spotte "The book is clearly a labor of love, and one must admire the author's boundless enthusiasm and breadth of scholarship." —New Scientist A seamlessly clear treatise on the science and technology of maintaining seawater fishes for purposes of aquaculture and public exhibition. Captive Seawater Fishes is the first book to bring together in one volume the disciplines of seawater chemistry, process engineering, and fish physiology, behavior, nutrition, and health. Richly illustrating the interplay between living fishes and the chemical and sensory stimuli of their environment, the book details: chemical processes controlling carbonate stability in seawater; the effect of captivity on physiological processes; sensory processes of fishes, including vision, hearing, and electroreception; diseases of seawater fishes and treatment methods; and more. 1991 (0-471-54554-6) 976 pp. Surveys of Fisheries Resources Donald R. Gunderson The intensive exploitation of fisheries resources has heightened the reliance in the industry on statistical surveying as a means of monitoring the abundance and age composition of existing fish reserves. Here is the first comprehensive look at the unique challenges and problems of fisheries surveying. Covering everything from survey design, bottom trawl surveys, acoustic surveys, to egg and larval surveys and direct counts, as well as the assumptions and limitations surrounding each method, the book is an exhaustive, yet practical guide to designing accurate, cost-effective fisheries surveys. 1993 (0-471-54735-2) 256 pp. Aquatic Pollution: An Introductory Text, Second Edition Edward A. Laws Regarded as the most complete introduction available on the subject, Aquatic Pollution details the ecological principles and toxicological fundamentals behind the phenomenon as well as the latest information on the factors affecting our polluted aquatic environment. Featuring case studies and specific examples, the book systematically examines such problems as urban runoff, sewage disposal, thermal pollution, nutrient loading, industrial wastewater discharges, and oil pollution. The new Second Edition includes three new chapters on groundwater pollution. acid rain, and plastics in the sea, as well as updated and expanded information on eutrophication, pathogens in water supplies, radioactive waste disposal, toxic metals, and pesticide use. 1993 (0-471-58883-0) 611 pp.

""" This book has been written as a guide to the management and use of formulated feeds in intensive fish and shrimp culture. While its focus is on the use of commercially pro duced feeds in intensive production systems, it is anticipated that many of the practical issues covered will be of equal interest to those fish farmers who make their own feeds and to those who use formulated feeds in less intensive systems. Feeds and feeding are the major variable operating costs in intensive aquaculture and the book is primarily in tended to aid decision making by fish farm managers in areas of feeding policy. The dramatic increases in aquaculture production seen over the past 15 years have been made possible, in large part, by gains in our understanding of the food and feed ing requirements of key fish and shrimp species. A global aquaculture feeds industry has developed and a wide range of specialist feeds is now sold. The new options in feeds and feeding systems, which are becoming available, necessitate continual review by farmers of their feeding policies, where choices must be made as to appropriate feed types and feeding methods. While growth rates and feed conversion values are the prime factors of interest to farmers, other important issues, such as product quality and environmental impacts of farm effiuents, are also directly related to feed management practices.