Early Life History Of Marine Fishes

The life cycles of fishes are complex and varied, and knowledge of the early life stages is important for understanding the biology, ecology, and evolution of fishes. In Early Life History of Marine Fishes, Bruce S. Miller and Arthur W. Kendall Jr., bring together in a single reference much of the research available and its application to fishery science—knowledge increasingly important because for most fishes, adult populations are determined at the earliest stages of life. Clear and well written, this book offers expert guidance on how to collect and analyze larval fish data and on how this information is interpreted by applied fish biologists and fisheries managers.

Many of the processes influencing recruitment to an adult fish population or entry into a fishery occur very early in life. The variations in life histories and behaviours of young fish and the selective processes operating on this variation ultimately determine the identities and abundance of survivors. This important volume brings together contributions from many of the world's leading researchers from the field of fish ecology. The book focuses on three major themes of pressing importance in the analysis of the role that the early life history of fishes plays in the number and quality of recruits: the selective processes at play in their early life history; the contributions of early life history to the understanding of recruitment.

THE LARVAL LIFE AND HISTORY OF MARINE FISHES.

It is now clear that data based on the studies of fish eggs and larvae make a number of unique contributions to fishery science that are crucial for accurate assessment and management of fish populations, including those of commercially important fisheries. This valuable book demonstrates why fish eggs and larvae are important, how the characteristics of early life stages require a somewhat different research approach and how information on early life stages can be applied and interpreted to yield unique insights into fish populations. The editors of Fishery Science have drawn together an extremely useful and well-written book with contributions from internationally respected researchers from North America, Asia and Europe. Chapters include a discussion of the unique nature of early life stages, age and growth, mortality, recruitment, populations analysis, habitats, human impacts and management. A carefully selected set of case studies demonstrates several specific applications of early life history information to a number of fishery problems. Fishery Science was designed to complement existing textbooks and is an essential purchase for all fisheries students and professionals, and for biologists working on the early life stages of fish. This exciting book is also of great value to ecologists, marine, freshwater and environmental scientists, populations biologists and oceanographers. All libraries in universities and research establishments where biological and fishery science are studied and taught should have copies of this book available on their shelves.

Plans for an International Symposium on the Early Life History of Fish were first discussed in 1967 at the F. A. O. Advisory Committee on Marine Resources Research {A. C. M. R. R. }. It was considered that studies on fish eggs and larvae were of value in estimating the size of fish stocks, in appraising the stock-recruitment relationship, and in helping to answer questions on the systematics and taxonomy of fish. An A. C. M. R. R. Working Party recommended in 1969 that a Symposium should be held and after discussion with the International Associa tion of Biological Oceanography {I. A. B. O. } Dr. J. H. S. Blaxter of the Scottish Marine Biological Association {S. M. B. A. } agreed to con vene the meeting with the help of a steering committee. Various in ternational agencies were interested in the meeting and agreed to sponsor it in various ways. These agencies included F. A. O. , I. A. B. O. , the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea {I. C. E. S. } and the Scientific Committee for Oceanic Research {S. C. O. R. }. In the final event F. A. O. supported the meeting by publishing the abstracts beforehand, providing travel funds for participants and publishing a report after the meeting. I. A. B. O. and S. C. O. R. provided travel funds and the Royal Society of London and S. M. B. A.

The Early Life History (ELH) of marine fishes in Fishing Area 31, which includes the western central North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico, has remained incomplete over the years. This certainly wasn't because of any lack of interest, but rather a lack of a comprehensive merging of studies that would provide a broad understandi