Aquaculture International 10: 443–445, 2002. © 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.

Book review

Ecological Aquaculture: The Evolution of the Blue Revolution, B.A. Costa-Pierce (ed.), Blackwell Science, Oxford, 2002. XV + 382 pp. ISBN: 0 632 04961 8. Price £69.50 Barry Costa-Pierce states his aim as being the stimulation of discussion “about the principles, practices and policies needed to develop ecologically and socially sustainable aquaculture”. With this as a starting point, I began reading Ecological Aquaculture with enthusiasm, hoping to see a way to a golden (“green”) future. But a Preface containing the wording “many of the ideas conveyed . . . are nothing new, but have been repackaged in a way to stimulate . . .” was not the best encouragement, nor would it excite a diffident reader. The debate about the importance of aquaculture and sustainability has recently come to the fore. Ecological Aquaculture focuses on sustainable aquaculture from a semi-intensive and extensive perspective, but misses the opportunity to provide in depth assessments of intensive aquaculture. Packaging is one of the more significant problems with the book; the rationale for the running order of chapters and reasons for their inclusion in specific sections were not clear. The sequence of the contributions does not provide a coherent progression through a set of arguments and discussions. I would have liked the book to include an introductory, overview chapter that set the scene, outlined the scope, and defined the relevant issues. As it is, I was often left wondering how the discussion in a particular chapter was contributing to an understanding of sustainable aquaculture in the broader context. This said, most of the chapters are well written and generate interest in their detail. The first section of the book contains two chapters that make interesting reading, but they do not balance each other. The book opens with a review of the history of aquaculture in traditional societies, and provides a stimulating overview that attempts at align thoughts about the origins of farming – be it agriculture or aquaculture. This overview provides a continental perspective, and it was satisfying to read about the origins of aquaculture in Africa and Europe alongside a description of development in China. The following chapter represents a huge contrast, relating solely to the ahupua’a marine systems in Hawaii. Personally, I would have opted for Barry Costa-Pierce’s chapter on research and extension methods as the opening chapter: Its present

444 position as chapter 5 means that sustainable aquaculture is not defined until page 118. On reading this chapter I felt I was at last making progress in understanding the theme of the book. The Methods section includes chapters on genetic fish tags, on escapement, and a case study of tilapia farming in Fiji. The authors of the chapter on escapement should be commended for making an attempt to place the topic within the context of sustainable aquaculture. The chapter on genetic tags might have been better if broadened out to a review covering the potential use of biotechnology in sustainable aquaculture, and reference should have been made to Donaldson’s review on the topic in Bardach (1997). I was left in two minds about whether or not Barry Costa-Pierce’s analysis of tilapia farming in Fiji was really a case study (relevant for section three of the book) or was meant to be a methods chapter. Section three explores ecological aquaculture by presenting case studies covering different systems. The chapter on village-based aquaculture ecosystems deserves a more prominent position, whereas the long chapter on integrated mangrove forest systems (silvofisheries) tended to swamp this section of the book. Other chapters relate to integrated aquaculture and agriculture in arid areas, cage systems in hydropower dams, and the role of aquaculture in restocking programmes. The chapter contents are interesting, but a selective coverage of topics means that many possible systems and examples are not included in the book. The idea of using case studies as illustrations is a good one, but there could have been greater editorial control. I was not convinced by the chapter that forms the concluding section of the book. Barry CostaPierce was not completely successful in drawing the material together, and this chapter seemed more like an attempt to include comments, largely absent from the rest of the book, about intensive aquaculture. Having made these criticisms, I must redress the balance somewhat, by saying that I enjoyed reading many parts of the book. In addition, the general quality of presentation is good: The striking blue cover that links to the subtitle, the front cover motif of man-with-fish in a hurry to get somewhere, the quality of paper, consistent layout, accurate references and readable type are all excellent. Nevertheless, inclusion of a glossary, a list of abbreviations and a more consistent use of photographs would have improved the book. Ecological Aquaculture contains a wealth of information, particularly on extensive and semi-intensive approaches to aquaculture. Barry CostaPierce edited the book, and authored several chapters, so the book probably reflects many of his views. Ecological Aquaculture might be considered as a companion to Sustainable Aquaculture edited by Bardach (1997). The latter focuses more on intensive aquaculture. Those involved in intensive aquaculture won’t find many answers to their problems in Ecological Aquaculture,

445 but they will get glimpses from over the pond embankment and be able to judge if the water is greener on the other side.

Reference Bardach J.E. (ed.) 1997. Sustainable Aquaculture. John Wiley & Sons, New York.

C. CARTER School of Aquaculture University of Tasmania Launceston, Tasmania 7250 Australia [email protected]

Book notices Seafood Safety and Human Health, M. Fingerman and R. Nagabhushanam (eds), Science Publishers, Enfield (NH), 2002. XII + 315 pp. ISBN: 1 57808 204 8. Price US$88 This book is volume 7 in the “Recent Advances in Marine Biotechnology” series. This multi-author volume contains thirteen articles covering various aspects of seafood safety and biotechnological methods used in the production of seafood, and related “value added” products. The main focus is on marine toxins; the micro-organisms that produce them, the chemistry of such toxins, and the techniques that are used to identify and assay them. There are also articles covering antimicrobial peptides for fish disease control, fish protein hydrolysates, surimi technology and DNA-based diagnostics in marine farming.

Harmful Alage, S.E. Shumway and T. Smayda (eds), Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2002. ISSN: 1 568 9883 This new journal aims to provide a forum for dissemination of information about the biology, monitoring and management of harmful microalgae and cyanobacteria in marine and freshwater habitats. It is planned to include papers covering life histories and taxonomy, physiology and toxicology, and the environmental and economic impacts of microalgal blooms. For further information see the journal homepage: www.elsevier.nl/locate/hal.