Aquacult Int (2013) 21:729–731 DOI 10.1007/s10499-012-9593-6 BOOK REVIEW

C. C. Mischke (ed): Aquaculture pond fertilization: impacts of nutrient input on production Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, 2012, X + 297pp, £133/€159.60 (Hardback), ISBN 978-0-470-95922-0 Malcolm Jobling

Received: 1 September 2012 / Accepted: 1 September 2012 / Published online: 13 September 2012 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012

Most freshwater fish farming is carried out in ponds, with pond culture involving the extensive rearing of some species and intensive farming of others. Fish are also farmed in brackish-water and marine ponds, but in much lower quantities. The raising of fish in ponds usually involves management strategies that include the use of fertilizers to manipulate pond nutrients, aquatic production, and food web structure. Aquaculture Pond Fertilization is a book that has been written to provide readers with an introduction to the theoretical background of the fertilization of aquaculture ponds and then to show how the concepts can be applied to pond management and the information used to increase the production of pond-farmed finfish. The book is divided into three sections; section one covers general concepts, section two provides discussions about pond management strategies, and section three describes current practices used for the pond-rearing of a range of finfish species. The book has 18 chapters, and there are 24 contributing authors. Most of the authors are based in USA, and this has imparted a distinctly North American flavor to the book; although the North American bias is apparent throughout the book, it is particularly noticeable in the 9 chapters that make up section three. The sections, and chapters within sections, generally follow a logical sequence. Sections one and two work reasonably well; section one as an introduction to the theoretical concepts that underlie the fertilization of aquaculture ponds, and section two in describing the management practices that can be employed to achieve specific goals. Section three is more heterogeneous, being made up of chapters that can stand alone without reference to the others within the section. Section one provides readers with information about nutrient cycling in ponds, pond ecology, types of fertilizers, water quality and environmental issues and pest control, whereas section two considers the manipulation and monitoring of nutrient ratios and algal production and provides information about the pros and cons of fixed-rate fertilization strategies. Production practices, including pond fertilization, employed in the farming of selected finfish are described in section three; the chapters, which are combinations of case studies M. Jobling (&) University of Tromsø, 9037 Tromsø, Norway e-mail: [email protected]

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and guidelines, usually rely quite heavily on the personal experiences of the authors and include frequent reference to the results of the authors’ own research. Descriptions of the pond rearing of finfish in USA dominate, to the detriment of other species and geographic areas; channel catfish, walleye and yellow perch, Nile tilapia, sunshine bass, largemouth bass, baitfish (golden shiner, fathead minnow and goldfish), carps (predominantly Indian major carps), sport-fish in recreational fishing ponds (e.g., largemouth bass and bluegill sunfish), and nursery ponds for marine finfish are covered. Each chapter is accompanied by a list of references. These lists often include gray literature publications, research reports and theses that will not be familiar to the majority of readers. It is useful that authors present summaries of the results found in the gray literature, but there is the possible danger that some of the original sources may not be readily available and easily accessible. This could create problems for readers of the book who might be interested in following up specific points or in undertaking a more detailed investigation into the sources. Contributors were given a relatively free hand with regard to the preparation of their chapters, and this has resulted in a certain amount of repetition and redundancy. It is also possible to see that there are several opinions about the practicalities of effective pond management. There is some disparity in the way that results are presented and interpreted, and there are a few contradictions and differences in the advice given by the various contributors. In addition, the chapter authors differ in their expectations about the background knowledge possessed by potential readers of their contributions, and this has resulted in chapters that are pitched at several different levels. I was sometimes frustrated by the fact that authors did not provide sufficiently comprehensive information or did not satisfactorily complete an argument; there was too frequent reference to supplementary sources when a few lines of additional text could have completed the telling of a story. I also felt that several chapters closed abruptly, without the authors providing concluding comments and statements that summarized the main points relating to the topic covered in the chapter. In a few of the chapters, abrupt and inexplicable switches between the use of metric and imperial units were both distracting and a cause of minor irritation. I have a few other quibbles about the way that the material is presented, including the choice of some of the illustrations, graphs and photographs, and the ease with which they can be interpreted. For example, some of the illustrations, such as several of those in chapter 2, are rather cluttered and cramped, and one or two of the graphs, such as Fig. 3.2, show several trend lines without any explanation being given as to what each line represents. In addition, a number of the photographs convey very little information. It is also sometimes difficult to extract information quickly and effectively from the tables; headings are quite often insufficiently informative and abbreviations are used in tables without any explanation being given, compelling the reader to flick to and fro between the main text and the tables to obtain information. There are a few typographical errors; these include spelling mistakes and occasional problems with the use of italics, bold-face type, abbreviations, brackets and with the sub- and superscripts, for example, when presenting chemical formulae, such as those for ions. The text also contains a small number of factual errors. For example, in the chapter covering carp pond fertilization, I was surprised to see Anabas testudineus (the climbing perch, a gourami within the family Anabantidae) referred to as a minor carp and as koi carp (fish within the family Cyprinidae). Aquaculture Pond Fertilization has shortcomings, but the book is nonetheless a useful addition to the fish-farming literature. It will probably be of most interest to those involved in carrying out research into the farming of freshwater finfish and may be of value to

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practicing fish culturists, and the book also has something to offer college and university students taking degree programs in aquatic biology and aquaculture. On the debit side, there are several aspects of presentation that detract from the overall impression. In addition, the rather parochial content, with a strong focus on North America, reduces the book’s general appeal; the book may prove popular in USA, but be less attractive to a broad international audience.

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