Ponds are a primary production system to a wide variety of freshwater fish species. Each species have specific and unique nutrient needs and successful pond fertilization is critical to a successful aquaculture enterprise. Aquaculture Pond Fertilization: Impacts of Nutrient Input on Production provides state-of-the-art information for successful fertilization strategies for a broad range of pond-raised species. Aquaculture Pond Fertilization attempts to rectify the seemingly contradictory nutrient recommendations by clearly defining the goals of specific types of aquaculture. Chapters are divided into three sections: The first reviews basic concepts in fertilization applicable to all pond-based production. The second looks at specific nutrient management approaches. The third and final section of chapters looks specifically at key freshwater pond species ranging from tilapia to perch and discusses specific fertilization needs for the successful rearing of these in-demand fish. Looking across species with chapters contributed by leaders in the field Aquaculture Pond Fertilization provides succinct single-volume coverage of an oft-neglected, but vitally important topic in aquaculture production.

Aquaculture pond managers measure water-quality variables and attempt to maintain them within optimal ranges for shrimp and fish, but surprisingly little attention is paid to pond soil condition. Soil-water interactions can strongly impact water quality, and soil factors should be considered in aquaculture pond management. The importance of soils in pond management will be illustrated with an example from pond fertilization and another from aeration. Pond fertilization may not produce phytoplankton blooms in acidic ponds. Total alkalinity is too low to provide adequate carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, and acidic soils adsorb phosphate added in fertilizer before phytoplankton can use it. Agricultural lime stone application can raise total alkalinity and neutralize soil acidity. The amount of limestone necessary to cause these changes in a pond depends on the base unsaturation and exchange acidity of the bottom soil. Two ponds with the same total alkalinity and soil pH may require vastly different quantities of limestone because they differ in exchange acidity. Aeration enhances dissolved oxygen concentrations in pond water and permits greater feed inputs to enhance fish or shrimp production. As feeding rates are raised, organic matter accumulates in pond soils. In ponds with very high feeding rates, aeration may supply enough dissolved oxygen in the water column for fish or shrimp, but it may be impossible to maintain aerobic conditions in the surface layers of pond soil. Toxic metabolites produced by microorganisms in anaerobic soils may enter the pond water and harm fish or shrimp.

The efficient and profitable production of fish, crustaceans, and other aquatic organisms in aquaculture depends on a suitable environment in which they can reproduce and grow. Because those organisms live in water, the major environ mental concern within the culture system is water quality. Water supplies for aquaculture systems may naturally be oflow quality or polluted by human activity, but in most instances, the primary reason for water quality impairment is the culture activity itself. Manures, fertilizers, and feeds applied to ponds to enhance production only can be partially converted to animal biomass. Thus, at moderate and high production levels, the inputs of nutrients and organic matter to culture units may exceed the assimilative capacity of the ecosystems. The result is deteriorating water quality which stresses the culture species, and stress leads to poor growth, greater incidence of disease, increased mortality, and low produc tion. Effluents from aquaculture systems can cause pollution of receiving waters, and pollution entering ponds in source water or chemicals added to ponds for management purposes can contaminate aquacultural products. Thus, water quality in aquaculture extends into the arenas of environmental protection and food quality and safety. A considerable body of literature on water quality management in aquaculture has been accumulated over the past 50 years. The first attempt to compile this information was a small book entitled Water Quality in Warmwater Fish Ponds (Boyd I 979a).

In 1979, several graduate students in the Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures at Auburn University met with one of the authors (CEB) and asked him to teach a new course on water supply for aqua culture. They felt that information on climatology, hydrology, water distribution systems, pumps, and wells would be valuable to them. Most of these students were planning to work in commercial aquaculture in the United States or abroad, and they thought that such a cdurse would better prepare them to plan aquaculture projects and to communicate with engineers, contractors, and other specialists who often become involved in the planning and construction phases of aquaculture en deavors. The course was developed, and after a few years it was decided that more effective presentation of some of the material could be made by an engineer. The other author (KHY) accepted the challenge, and three courses on the water supply aspects of aquaculture are now offered at Auburn University. A course providing background in hydrology is followed by courses on selected topics from water supply engineering. Most graduate programs in aquaculture at other universities will even tually include similar coursework, because students need a formal intro duction to this important, yet somewhat neglected, part of aquaculture. We have written this book to serve as a text for a course in water supply for aquaculture or for individual study. The book is divided into is concerned two parts.

The culmination of over a decade's worth of research by the Pond Dynamics/Aquaculture Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP), Dynamics of Pond Aquaculture not only explains the physical, chemical, and biological processes that interact in pond culture systems, but also presents real-world research findings and considers the people who depend on these systems. This book uses data from CRSP field research sites in East Africa, Southeast Asia, Central America, and North America to present a complete picture of the pond system and the environment in which it exists. A thorough study of the principles and practices of aquaculture, the book reflects the state of the art in pond aquaculture and incorporates recent advances that have changed the science in the last decade or so. It provides a thorough review of the many methods, techniques, and ideas that comprise this complex and fascinating area of study.

Captive Seawater Fishes: Science and Technology Stephen Spotte "The book is clearly a labor of love, and one must admire the author's boundless enthusiasm and breadth of scholarship." —New Scientist A seamlessly clear treatise on the science and technology of maintaining seawater fishes for purposes of aquaculture and public exhibition. Captive Seawater Fishes is the first book to bring together in one volume the disciplines of seawater chemistry, process engineering, and fish physiology, behavior, nutrition, and health. Richly illustrating the interplay between living fishes and the chemical and sensory stimuli of their environment, the book details: chemical processes controlling carbonate stability in seawater; the effect of captivity on physiological processes; sensory processes of fishes, including vision, hearing, and electroreception; diseases of seawater fishes and treatment methods; and more. 1991 (0-471-54554-6) 976 pp. Surveys of Fisheries Resources Donald R. Gunderson The intensive exploitation of fisheries resources has heightened the reliance in the industry on statistical surveying as a means of monitoring the abundance and age composition of existing fish reserves. Here is the first comprehensive look at the unique challenges and problems of fisheries surveying. Covering everything from survey design, bottom trawl surveys, acoustic surveys, to egg and larval surveys and direct counts, as well as the assumptions and limitations surrounding each method, the book is an exhaustive, yet practical guide to designing accurate, cost-effective fisheries surveys. 1993 (0-471-54735-2) 256 pp. Aquatic Pollution: An Introductory Text, Second Edition Edward A. Laws Regarded as the most complete introduction available on the subject, Aquatic Pollution details the ecological principles and toxicological fundamentals behind the phenomenon as well as the latest information on the factors affecting our polluted aquatic environment. Featuring case studies and specific examples, the book systematically examines such problems as urban runoff, sewage disposal, thermal pollution, nutrient loading, industrial wastewater discharges, and oil pollution. The new Second Edition includes three new chapters on groundwater pollution. acid rain, and plastics in the sea, as well as updated and expanded information on eutrophication, pathogens in water supplies, radioactive waste disposal, toxic metals, and pesticide use. 1993 (0-471-58883-0) 611 pp.

Aquaculture is an increasingly diverse industry with an ever-growing number of species cultured and production systems available to professionals. A basic understanding of production systems is vital to the successful practice of aquaculture. Published with the World Aquaculture Society, Aquaculture Production Systems captures the huge diversity of production systems used in the production of shellfish and finfish in one concise volume that allows the reader to better understand how aquaculture depends upon and interacts with its environment. The systems examined range from low input methods to super-intensive systems. Divided into five sections that each focus on a distinct family of systems, Aquaculture Production Systems serves as an excellent text to those just being introduced to aquaculture as well as being a valuable reference to well-established professionals seeking information on production methods.

A comprehensive source of information on all aspects of shrimp production, this reference covers not only the global status of shrimp farming, but also examines shrimp anatomy and physiology. From nutrition to health management and harvesting issues to biosecurity, this well-researched volume evaluates existing knowledge, proposes new concepts, and questions common practices. With an extensive review on worldwide production systems, this compilation will be highly relevant to research scientists, students, and shrimp producers.