World Aquaculture September 2018

16 SEP TEMBER 2018 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S.ORG the importance of emerging diseases such as EMS/AHPND and EHP, these are given only a passing reference in this chapter. Channel catfish were introduced in 1984 and China is now the world’s largest producer of this species, accounting for about 60 percent of global production. Marker-assisted selection is being used to improve culture performance of this species. China is also the global leader in tilapia production, responsible for about 34 percent of the global production volume. Tilapia introductions have been made almost every decade since 1946. The main species produced are the Nile × blue tilapia hybrid, improved GIFT strains, and red tilapia and genetic improvement programs for this species are active. Seven farming models are described for tilapia in China. A chapter on largemouth bass culture completes the section on alien species. Although some tilapia producers in China are now growing Pangasius catfish, apparently production of the fish has not yet reached a level to warrant a chapter in the section on alien species in this book. There is not too much insight to be gained from the chapters on feeds in freshwater and marine aquaculture. Since the early 1990s, there has been a direct relationship between fish production increases in China and aquafeed output, currently estimated to be around 20 million t. The overwhelming majority of aquafeeds are compressed pellets, with low levels of fishmeal (1-2 percent), used for production of low trophic level fish. The important topic of fishmeal and fish oil replacement in mariculture feeds earned a scant paragraph. The chapter on genetic breeding biotechnologies is excellent. There is a table of improved varieties of a range of species that spans seven pages and another table of hybrid varieties that spans five pages. It is clear that China is active and on the cutting edge in terms of application of modern tools and biotechnologies to improve the culture performance of a broad range of species. This is exemplified by the following chapter that describes the whole genome sequencing of the half-smooth tongue sole ( Cynoglossus semilaevis ), ultimately leading to production of monosex female offspring. The next chapter describes a program for stock enhancement of the Chinese mitten crab ( Eriocheir sinensis ) that includes germplasm cryopreservation. This is one of the few chapters where stock enhancement is discussed specifically, despite the importance and application of this approach to increasing fish production throughout China. The following chapter addresses stock enhancement from the standpoint of fry and fingerling production and has a table that lists 79 government farms with responsibility for seed production of various species. The next section on environmental issues begins with a chapter on multitrophic mariculture practices, describing two case studies of IMTA from Sungo Bay (Yellow Sea). The following chapter addresses pond effluents and various options for treatment, including “eco-slopes,” ditches, “eco-ponds,” “bio-floating beds” (a form of aquaponics with aquatic plants), “eco-channels,” and constructed wetlands. This chapter presented some interesting concepts, although it could have benefited frommore rigorous editing as there were numerous omissions, errors, odd units, and unclear arguments. The general engineering design approach could have been more thoroughly presented. It is not clear the degree to which these configurations and technologies are being taken up by producers, although clearly there is a pressing need to do so given the general deterioration of surface water Book Review , continued from page 15 quality in China. A chapter on “disease prevention and control” is more of a survey of the specific viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic diseases of the species cultured in China, and many of these are common to aquatic animals cultured around the world. A chapter on lake and reservoir aquaculture includes discussion of stock enhancement, cage and pen culture in lakes and reservoirs, and an “eco-fisheries” management approach that uses stocking of piscivorous mandarin fish as a way to achieve top-down biomanipulation that results in water quality improvement. The last chapter in this section describes the national system of 464 National Aquatic Genetic Resources Reserves, each of which represents key spawning and nursery areas for one or more species that are designated for protection and conservation. The final section of the book, consisting of one chapter, is about development strategies and prospects for aquaculture development in China. The major driving forces leading to the rapid development of Chinese aquaculture are identified as “correct” decision-making that created an aquaculture-centered development policy, progress in sci- ence and technology, especially application of biotechnology for genetic improvement, and characteristics of culture species, primarily those of lower trophic levels. The development philosophy has shifted from a focus on food production, food security and economic development to a more balanced “eco-harmony” approach that also considers resource use efficiency, environmental impacts and the ecological services pro- vided and used by aquaculture. To achieve this vision, key tasks include accelerated establishment of hatcheries for genetically improved variet- ies and planning for the growth of modern practices such as IMTA, RAS and ecologically engineered production systems. Overall, this book gives readers an overview of what may be possible for aquaculture development in other countries. In China, the necessary prerequisites were a long history and cultural acceptance of aquaculture, abundant aquatic natural resources and a commitment by policymakers to foster aquaculture development. In a book with as sprawling a scope such as this, certain editorial decisions had to be made, and so any criticism should be tempered by the accomplishment of assembling this information, heretofore largely inaccessible, in one place. As the world’s leader in seaweed production (48 percent of global production), other than a cursory overview in the chapter on mariculture, there were no chapters on the production of major seaweed species. Chapters on production economics and social aspects of aquaculture would have been interesting and useful. As one might expect of authors for whome English is not their primary language, the writing is occasionally unclear, although instances of this are few and far between. Most of the editors of this book are likely not well known outside of China. The one exception is Sena de Silva, who is the author or editor of numerous books, including Success Stories in Asian Aquaculture , Tropical Mariculture , and Fish Nutrition in Aquaculture . Although not explicitly stated, it is clear that Dr. de Silva played a major role in coordinating the efforts of the authors, editing, and seeing the book through to publication. He and his fellow contributors should be commended for drawing back the curtain on aquaculture in China and giving the wider world a view of a major productive activity inside the world’s preeminent aquaculture superpower. — John A. Hargreaves, Editor-in-Chief, World Aquaculture