Contributed articles.

Anthropological studies of marine fishermen have explored immense diversity among fishing societies, and the management strategies of marine resources in the context of globalization and changing technologies deserve the utmost attention from researchers in an uncertain economy. In India, fishing communities belong to various different castes and religions. This book presents an anthropological study of Hindu marine fishermen in two neighboring fishing villages situated in the same coastal belt, but administered by two different state governments (Kerala and Pondicherry). It explores the ways in which state interventions influence the development paradigm of a marginalized society like marine fishermen, and discusses the distribution pattern of production systems and its significance at the household level. The book also considers the gendered forms of economic transformation in fishing due to declining marine resources, and technological and climate change. It also focuses on the role of women fish vendors in market spaces as instituted by their distribution and credit connections and the unique experiences of the development process through anxieties, compromises and survival in an uncertain economy. The book will be of interest to researchers, administrators and NGOs working for the inclusive development of marginalized communities sharing common property resources.

The cultivation of marine fish comes over the years gaining greater importance, based on the decline of fishing production and increased demand for this protein source. According to Ward and Myers (2005) in the past 50 years the fishing activity in high-scale in the oceans has interfered in the marine ecosystems, generating major ecological changes and dramatically reducing various fish stocks.Currently, due to growing demand for this type of food worldwide, there is a pressure on the scientific community and producers in search of improvements in the system and management. It is known that the main challenges today are fighting diseases, studies about the best place for the cultivation of a particular species, the search for replacement of protein source in the feed and breeding with the goal of finding the best features expressed by any species. Therefore, there is a huge field to evolve and develop the activity, which is relatively new when compared to other animal farming systems. In addition, an important factor to be considered with respect to the cultivation of marine fish is the legislation involved, which in most countries is an obstacle to the development of the activity due to high bureaucracy involved to acquire areas for production, especially in off-shore or near-shore systems.Some aspects are fundamental when it seeks to establish a marine fish farming, including the selection of species, area and cultivation system, the feed being used and your commercial availability, the availability of seed in the region, transportation and logistics, technologies employed in rearing, fattening and breeding, the knowledge of diseases and prophylactic and therapeutic treatments and funding and qualified personnel.This book is intended for professionals, students and researchers who are interested in meeting some aspects of the current situation of production of marine fishes worldwide.

During the last decades, aquatic resources have been severely depleted due to human-induced factors such as overexploitation and pollution and more recently due to deviations in the physicochemical parameters of oceans, dramatic changes in weather patterns and melting of glaciers. The effects of these man-made factors are occurring in a relatively shorter time scale and, in many cases, are beyond the capacity of organisms to adapt to these deviations. The majority of natural aquatic resources, which are one of the most important food sources on the planet, are being used to the extent that limits their capacity for regeneration. Despite ongoing attempts towards developing strategies for long-term management of aquatic resources all over the world, efforts have met with limited success. Thus, the sustainable use of aquatic resources has become a very important reality considering a projected human population of 11 billion by the year 2100. With this reality in mind, the purpose of this book is to shed more light on the field of marine ecology by emphasizing the diversity of aquatic life on earth and its importance both as part of a balanced ecosystem and as part of critical source of food on earth. The book covers important findings, discussions and reviews on a variety of subjects on environmental and competitive interactions of marine organisms at different trophic levels and their effects on the productivity, dynamics and structure of marine ecosystems around the world. Each chapter focuses on a specific case in the field of marine ecology and was written by researchers with years of experience in their respective fields. We hope that academicians, researchers and students as well as experts and professionals working in the field of marine ecology will benefit from these contributions. We also hope that this book will inspire more studies to help better understand the marine environment and develop strategies to better protect this crucial element of life on earth.

Ecohydraulics: An Integrated Approachprovides a research level text which highlights recent developments of this emerging and expanding field. With a focus on interdisciplinary research the text examines:- the evolution and scope of ecohydraulics interactions between hydraulics, hydrology, fluvial geomorphology and aquatic ecology the application of habitat modelling in ecohydraulic studies state of the art methodological developments and approaches detailed case studies including fish passage design and the management of environmental flow regimes research needs and the future of ecohydraulics research The contributions offer broad geographic coverage to encapsulate the wide range of approaches, case studies and methods used to conduct ecohydraulics research. The book considers a range of spatial and temporal scales of relevance and aquatic organisms ranging from algae and macrophytes to macroinvertebrates and fish. River management and restoration are also considered in detail, making this volume of direct relevance to those concerned with cutting edge research and its application for water resource management. Aimed at academics and postgraduate researchers in departments of physical geography, earth sciences, environmental science, environmental management, civil engineering, biology, zoology, botany and ecology; Ecohydraulics: An Integrated Approach will be of direct relevance to academics, researchers and professionals working in environmental research organisations, national agencies and consultancies.

Fluctuations and declines in marine fish populations have caused growing concern among marine scientists, fisheries managers, commercial and recreational fishers, and the public. Sustaining Marine Fisheries explores the nature of marine ecosystems and the complex interacting factors that shape their productivity. The book documents the condition of marine fisheries today, highlighting species and geographic areas that are under particular stress. Challenges to achieving sustainability are discussed, and shortcomings of existing fisheries management and regulation are examined. The volume calls for fisheries management to adopt a broader ecosystem perspective that encompasses all relevant environmental and human influences. Sustaining Marine Fisheries offers new approaches to building workable fisheries management institutions, improving scientific data, and developing management tools. The book recommends ways to change current practices that encourage overexploitation of fish resources. It will be of special interest to marine policymakers and ecologists, fisheries regulators and managers, fisheries scientists and marine ecologists, fishers, and concerned individuals.