With aquaculture on track to overtake global fisheries, a new aquaculture book from The University of Queensland will help industry and students look to the future.
The second edition of Aquaculture: Farming Aquatic Animals and Plants dives into the culture of fish, shellfish and algae in freshwater and marine environments.
UQ Adjunct Professor John Lucas from the School of Biological Sciences co-authored the edition with Paul Southgate, and says the aquaculture industry will soon be the primary way aquatic food and products are sourced.
“Aquaculture is a multi-billion dollar global industry that is rapidly overtaking global fisheries production,” says Professor Lucas.
“Just as agriculture took over from hunting and gathering, aquaculture will overtake fisheries as the main source of animal and plant products from aquatic environments.”
Aquaculture: Farming Aquatic Animals and Plants covers all major aspects of the culture of fish, shellfish and algae in freshwater and marine environments. It is an expanded and fully updated new version of the successful first edition.
The text covers a range of topics important to aquaculturists, such as water quality, environmental impacts, genetics and stock improvement, nutrition and feeds production, diseases and vaccination, post-harvest technology, economics and marketing, and future developments.
Individual chapters cover the culture of algae, carp, salmon, tilapia, catfish, marine and brackish fish, soft-shelled turtles, marine shrimp, mitten crabs, freshwater prawns, oysters and clams, sea snails, and ornamental fish.
The book also highlights China’s strength in aquaculture, featuring aquaculture products unfamiliar to some Western consumers.
Aquaculture: Farming Aquatic Animals and Plants is a major text for student courses and it has commercial information for fish farmers, hatchery managers and those supplying the aquaculture industry, such as feeds manufactures.
For Media: John Lucas is an Adjunct Professor in the Centre for Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia. Paul Southgate is Professor of Aquaculture in the School of Marine and Tropical Biology at James Cook University, Australia.
Media contact: Tracey Franchi, Manager Communications, School of Biological Sciences (07 3365 4831 or t.franchi@uq.edu.au)
