Biology and Culture of Percid Fishes: Principles and Practices 1st ed. 2015 Edition

Abstract

Fish are consumed by their siblings, and some species of all other animals within the subphylum Vertebrata including humans. Fish provide humans high-quality and essential proteins as well as minerals. Some fi shes of the fi nned variety, such as gadids, provide little fat (<1 %), while others, for example, salmonids and clupeids, have a high fat content containing a range of fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids, all vital for human health. The demands of the growing human population outstrip the sustainability of wild fi shes which have become increasingly depleted. Aquaculture production has increased in an effort to compensate for this depletion. Overfi shing and aquaculture, however, have both come under scrutiny by environmentalists, although threats from aquaculture appear to be less than from the former. The Percidae are an ancient northern hemisphere family of fi shes containing about 266 species (mostly darters North American) and 11 genera. Several species are vulnerable and their conservation is of extreme concern. Others are economically important in recreational and commercial fi shing. It is necessary to understand the biology of this family to conserve and manage their populations. In addition this knowledge can be used as a foundation for their culture. Four species of two genera, two in North America (yellow perch Perca fl avescens and walleye Sander vitreus ) and two in Europe (perch Perca fl uviatilis and pike perch Sander lucioperca ), have shown particular promise in aquaculture. This is probably aided by the similar biology of the two Perca and the two Sander species, which means that advances in aquaculture can be applied across all four. Much of the biology of percids is known, but as time moves on new techniques, which improve and develop our understanding of the basics, are applied in research. In addition there has been a signifi cant advancement in percid aquaculture. So since my book on percids was published 15 years ago, there have been many developments, and the present tome edited by Patrick Kestemont, Robert Summerfelt, and Konrad Dabrowski is important in bringing us up to date in both the biology and culture of this group. The book is extensive and comprehensive, particularly regarding the present state of aquaculture. It is divided into eight sections containing in total 35 chapters with topics including systematics, ecology, reproduction, early life stages, development, growth, metabolism, nutrition, behavior, husbandry, genetic modifi cation, domestication, stress, immunology, diseases, health, commercial production, marketing, and economics. I was interested in reading about new molecular tools allowing the elucidation of evolutionary diversifi cation of the percids. Other highlights include the development of out-of-season spawning in which the main environmental cues are temperature and photoperiod both of which can be programmed for intensive fi sh farming; the use of molecular analyses in determining the quality of ova, embryos, and larvae; the development of sensory systems and the gut; nutritional requirements and the function of lipids and fatty acids; biphasic growth; hormonal sexual reversal; selective breeding programs; domestication; the use of intensifi ed recirculating aquaculture system(s) (RAS); intensive larviculture; bioenergetics modeling; and culture of percids for enhancement. I was surprised to learn that the country with the highest import and consumption of perch was Switzerland. The scarcity of information on artifi cially controlling reproduction by hormones and lack of knowledge on the immune system, although most diseases have been identified, indicate the need for future research. Percid fi sh farming, including the development of culture in different countries and defining the quality of fishes in the industry, has still a long way to go, but this book provides the information we have at hand at the present time. It will be of immense value to students and researchers in fish biology and fisheries and those working in the aquaculture industry.