A major concern among ecologists in and outside the ASEAN region is the degradation of the environment, and the overexploitation of freshwater and marine resources. There is as yet no indication that freshwater and marine resources are being managed on a sustainable basis, and loss of wetlands, whether freshwater swamps or mangrove swamps, is a major problem in the ASEAN region. Reclamation of mangrove swamps for aquaculture and agriculture seems to be a continuous activity here and the status of marine parks should also be examined in the light of recent resort development acitivities on small islands. This volume contains numerous recommendations for the promotion of ecological studies and regional cooperation in marine, freshwater ecology and conservation, with special emphasis on the common water masses like the Strait of Malacca, Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea.

The occurrence of marine and freshwater toxins is a rapidly evolving problem due to ever-changing circumstances. Expanding international commerce is forcing cargo ships into virgin territory, deforestation and pollution violate the natural ecological balance, and a changing climate holds unknown potential to alter current factors and trigger toxic blooms in new forms, at new rates, and in new places. Fortunately, with notable advances in analysis technology, the body of knowledge in the field is equally dynamic. In just six years since the first edition, toxins that warranted only line listings, including pfiestra, gambierol, and polycavernoside, are now worthy of entire chapters, requiring a new edition to encompass the expanding scope of the field. Emphasizes Human Response to New Toxins Gathering contributions from international experts, Seafood and Freshwater Toxins: Pharmacology, Physiology, and Detection, Second Edition provides an overview of the current state-of-knowledge from several perspectives. Incorporating toxicology, chemistry, ecology, and economics, the book covers the biological aspects of the bloom and the effects and actions of each toxin with emphasis on human response. This edition includes more information on detection and analysis, toxicological information on previously little known toxins, and food safety issues. Incorporating Pharmacological, Legal, and Economic Aspects, this book— Begins with general information on risk assessment and analytical techniques Cover several categories of toxins by function and biomechanism Considers potential pharmacological applications and the use of toxins as precursors to therapeutic drugs Highlights the legal and economic perspectives of toxic incidence in industrial activity and international regulation and monitoring programs Describes new toxins by their individual chemical structure, ecobiology, metabolism, detection methods, determination, pharmacology, and toxicology

This book examines large-scale outbreaks of red tide along coastal areas, which is associated with fish and shellfish mass mortalities through poisoning. This book discusses the red tide phenomena throughout the world, including biological research results on taxonomy of cyst and vegetative cells of red tide organisms and ecological and physiological studies using ecological modeling.