Methods For Fish Biology

This book is designed as both a reference and a handbook for the study of fishes. It is a source of methods commonly used to research fish genetics, systematics, anatomy, physiology, developmental biology, toxicology, behavior, and ecology. Standard methods and their theoretical framework are presented for all these fields. Each of the book's 20 chapters also contains a background literature review which, though not exhaustive, allows readers to delve more deeply into subjects that particularly interest them. The main emphasis is on methodology, but the pros and cons of alternative procedures also are treated, as are the uses and misuses of data generated by the techniques.

Recent decades have witnessed strong declines in fish stocks aroundthe globe, amid growing concerns about the impact of fisheries onmarine and freshwater biodiversity. Fisheries biologists andmanagers are therefore increasingly asking about aspects ofecology, behaviour, evolution and biodiversity that weretraditionally studied by people working in very separate fields.This has highlighted the need to work more closely together, inorder to help ensure future success both in management andconservation. The Handbook of Fish Biology and Fisheries has beenwritten by an international team of scientists and practitioners,to provide an overview of the biology of freshwater and marine fishspecies together with the science that supports fisheriesmanagement and conservation. This volume, subtitled Fish Biology, reviews a broadvariety of topics from evolutionary relationships and globalbiogeography to physiology, recruitment, life histories, genetics,foraging behaviour, reproductive behaviour and community ecology.The second volume, subtitled Fisheries, uses much of thisinformation in a wide-ranging review of fisheries biology,including methods of capture, marketing, economics, stockassessment, forecasting, ecosystem impacts and conservation. Together, these books present the state of the art in ourunderstanding of fish biology and fisheries and will serve asvaluable references for undergraduates and graduates looking for acomprehensive source on a wide variety of topics in fisheriesscience. They will also be useful to researchers who needup-to-date reviews of topics that impinge on their fields, anddecision makers who need to appreciate the scientific backgroundfor management and conservation of aquatic ecosystems. To order volume I, go to the box in the top right hand corner.Alternatively to order volume II, go to:http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/book.asp?ref=063206482X or toorder the 2 volume set, go to:http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/book.asp?ref=0632064838. Provides a unique overview of the study of fish biology andecology, and the assessment and management of fish populations andecosystems. The first volume concentrates on aspects of fish biology andecology, both at the individual and population levels, whilst thesecond volume addresses the assessment and management of fishpopulations and ecosystems. Written by an international team of expert scientists andpractitioners. An invaluable reference tool for both students, researchers andpractitioners working in the fields of fish biology andfisheries.

Cellular and Molecular Approaches in Fish Biology is a highly interdisciplinary resource to bring industry professionals, students and researchers up-to-date with the latest developments and information on fish biology research combining a historical overview of the different research areas in fish biology and detailed descriptions of cellular and molecular approaches with explanations and recommendations for research. The book presents a global perspective of each research area with detailed analytical methodologies on the cellular and molecular mechanisms within fish biology for expermentation. The book provides different points of view on how researchers have addressed timely issues, while describing and dissecting some of the new experimental/analytical approaches used to answer the key questions at cellular and molecular levels, making this a valuable resource to those in industry and academia as well as those entering the field. Provides detailed descriptions of each research approach, highlighting the tricks of the trade for its effective and successful application Includes the latest developments in fish reproduction, fish development and nutrition, fish welfare, fish immunology, ecology and biomedics Presents hot topics of research such as genetics, transcriptomics and epigenetics

This excellent second edition of Fisheries Biology, Assessment and Management, has been fully updated and expanded, providing a book which is an essential purchase for students and scientists studying, working or researching in fisheries and aquatic sciences. In the same way that excessive hunting on land has threatened terrestrial species, excessive fishing in the sea has reduced stocks of marine species to dangerously low levels. In addition, the ecosystems that support coastal marine species are threatened by habitat destruction, development and pollution. Open access policies and subsidised fishing are placing seafood in danger of becoming a scarce and very expensive commodity for which there is an insatiable demand. Positive trends include actions being taken to decrease the incidental catches of non-target species, consumer preferences for seafood from sustainable fisheries, and the establishment of no-take areas that provide refuges for marine species. But there is an urgent need to do more. Because there is an increasing recognition of the need to manage ecosystems as well as fish stocks, this second edition of this bestselling text book includes an additional chapter on marine ecology. Chapters on parameter estimation and stock assessment now include step-by-step instructions on building computer spreadsheet models, including simulations with random variations that realistically emulate the vagaries of nature. Sections on ecosystem management, co-management, community-based management and marine protected areas have been expanded to match the increased interest in these areas. Containing many worked examples, computer programs and numerous high quality illustrations, Fisheries Biology, Assessment and Management, second edition, is a comprehensive and essential text for students worldwide studying fisheries, fish biology, aquatic and biological sciences. As well as serving as a core text for students, the book is a superb reference for fisheries and aquatic researchers, scientists and managers across the globe, in both temperate and tropical regions. Libraries in all universities where fish biology, fisheries, aquatic sciences and biological sciences are studied and taught will need copies of this most useful new edition on their shelves. Supplementary material is available at: www.blackwellpublishing.com/king

This was the first effort to standardize methods for inland fish sampling across North America and, as such, was a joint effort contributed to by a large group of talented and dedicated individuals, in addition to the authors and coeditors. While these sampling methods were primarily developed for North America, most could be used with little or no modification in other areas of the world. Those involved with standard sampling efforts in North America would welcome the opportunity to collaborate with scientists from other regions to develop methods to share data worldwide.

Techniques and theory for processing otoliths from tropical marine fish have developed only recently due to an historic misconception that these organisms could not be aged. Otoliths are the most commonly used structures from which daily, seasonal or annual records of a fish’s environmental history are inferred, and are also used as indicators of migration patterns, home range, spatial distribution, stock structure and life history events. A large proportion of projects undertaken on tropical marine organisms involve removal and processing of calcified structures such as otoliths, statoliths or vertebrae to retrieve biological, biochemical or genetic information. Current techniques and principles have evolved rapidly and are under constant modification and these differ among laboratories, and more particularly among species and within life history stages. Tropical fish otoliths: Information for assessment, management and ecology is a comprehensive description of the current status of knowledge about otoliths in the tropics. This book has contributions from leading experts in the field, encompassing a tropical perspective on daily and annual ageing in fish and invertebrates, microchemistry, interpreting otolith microstructure and using it to back-calculate life history events, and includes a treatise on the significance of validating periodicity in otoliths.

This extensive work focuses on an important group of temperate freshwater fish, approaching the topic from the perspectives of both biology and aquaculture. It compiles the latest research on fish belonging to the Percidae family and describes in detail all biological aspects relevant to the culture of different species, including ecology, reproductive physiology, feeding and nutrition, genetics, immunology, stress physiology and behavior. It also considers commercial fish production and fish farming topics, such as protocols for induction of gonad maturation, spawning, incubation and larval rearing. Expert contributors not only provide a critical peer review of scientific literature but also original research data, and identify effective practical techniques. The book features chapters on systematics, ecology and evolution, on development, metabolism and husbandry of early life stages and on growth, metabolism, behavior and husbandry of juvenile and grow-out stages. Furthermore, the authors consider genetic improvement and domestication, as well as diseases and health management, crucial to the readers' understanding of these fish and how they can be cultured. Both researchers of percid fish biology and aquaculture professionals who are considering intensive and pond culture of percid fishes will value this timely and comprehensive handbook.)