Book Description

As a practicing professional in the field of marine science you need easily accessible, accurate and up-to-date information at your fingertips. Practical Handbook of Marine Science, Third Edition provides a comprehensive reference containing the critical information necessary to meet the multidisciplinary research needs of all marine scientists, researchers, and anyone involved in managing marine resources. Consisting of a user-friendly multi-sectional format, this single volume databook offers extensive, illustrative, and tabular reference material covering all the major disciplines related to the sea. What's new in the New EditionPresented in an easy-to-use, logically arranged format Practical Handbook of Marine Science, Third Edition serves as a quick reference to all disciplines of marine science. While building on the strong base provided by the previous editions, this is a completely updated version that includes: oCompletely revised text to reflect the latest knowledge in marine scienceoExtensive references from recent sources (1995-2000)oCurrent tablesoA wealth of new illustrations and tablesHighlighting the interdisciplinary nature of marine science, this handbook covers a wide range of topics and is a quick and easy reference to a multitude of marine science subjects. Although this state-of-the art reference has been designed for marine scientists; administrators and other professionals who deal with the management of marine resources - and the investigation of anthropogenic impacts on marine systems - will find the information accessible and useful. The Practical Handbook of Marine Science, Third Edition is your first resource when you need current, concise, and detailed data. ... Read more

Amazon.com

From Leonardo da Vinci's recipe for imitation pearls to the derring-do of deep-sea pearl divers, Pearls: A Natural History delves into virtually every aspect of the gemstones that have been prized since ancient times for their luster and purity. The fascination of this book--which accompanies an exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History in New York through April 14, 2002--is the way it effortlessly combines scientific, historical, cultural, and practical information. Key topics include different species of marine and freshwater mollusks, the history of perliculture and ecological issues affecting pearl production. The more than 200 photographs include reproductions of spectacular objects ranging from a 16th-century Russian icon of the Madonna and child encrusted in freshwater pearls to an early-20th-century brooch in which lozenge-shaped Mississippi River pearls create the opulent blossoms of a diamond-stemmed flower. Solid information, intriguing trivia, and inviting design give this book a broad appeal. --Cathy Curtis ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Most excellent information, but...
This book is quite thorough, as mentioned in the other reviews. The "but" is major, though.... The type font is VERY DIFFICULT on the eyes. I absolutely love pearls, drool over them, even. I gobble up any information on them. If the GIA offers a specialization in them, I will get it. But the lines in this font are so thin, and the size is so tight and small, I haven't been able to finish a fourth of the book, and I've had it over a year!

Every time I try to read it, I have to put it down after only a few pages. By the way, my vision is great, corrected to better than 20/20. Perhaps my copy (bought at the Metropolitan Museum of Art store) was printed when the ink source was running low...

contains everything you could want to know
This is an excellent, well illustrated book with everything you could want to know about pearls - how they occur naturally, the biology of this, how they are induced artificially ( cultured pearls), how they are faked, the optics of their appearance and how they have shaped history and , of course, pearl jewellery.

The hard bits are explained without jargon, in intelligeable words but without losing detail.

Pearls before swine...
This truly is a history book, written in a very accessable style with lots of great photos and illustrations. If there's anything else to know about pearls then I suspect it might just about fill up the back of a postage stamp with room to spare. A great resource for amateurs and professionals alike; I thoroughly enjoyed it and it's well worth the money. ... Read more

Book Description

For hundreds of years, the New England cod fishery was one of the most productive in the world, with higher average annual landings than any comparable ocean area. But in the late 1980s, fish catches dropped precipitously, as the cod, flounder and other species that had long dominated the region seemed to lose their ability to recover from the massive annual harvests. Even today, with fishing sharply restricted, populations have not recovered. Largely overlooked in this disaster is the intriguing human and scientific puzzle that lies at its heart: an anguished, seemingly inexplicable conflict between government scientists and fishermen over how fish populations are assessed, which has led to bitter disputes and has crippled efforts to agree on catch restrictions. In The Great Gulf, author David Dobbs offers a fascinating and compelling look at both sides of the conflict. With great immediacy, he describes the history of the fisheries science in this most studied of oceans, and takes the reader on a series of forays over the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank on both fishing boats and research vessels. He introduces us to the challenges facing John Galbraith, Linda Despres, and Jay Burnett, passionate and dedicated scientists with the National Marine Fisheries Service who spend countless hours working to determine how many fish there really are, and to the dilemma of Dave Goethel, a whipsmart, conscientious fisherman with 20 years's experience who struggles to understand the complex world he works in while maintaining his livelihood in an age of increasing regulation. Dobbs paints the New England fishery problem in its full human and natural complexity, vividly portraying the vitality of an uncontrollable, ultimately unknowable sea and its strange, frightening, and beautiful creatures on the one hand, and on the other, the smart, irrepressible, unpredictable people who work there with great joy and humor, refusing to surrender to the many reasons for despair or cynicism. For anyone who read Cod or The Perfect Storm, this book offers the next chapter of the story-how today's fishers and fisheries scientists are grappling with the collapse of this fishery and trying to chart, amid uncertain waters, a course towards its restoration. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

GOOD READING ON FISH ECOLOGY
This is an interesting, and very readable study of the problems that have caused major declines within the New England groundfishing industry, and how 2 seperate, but equally interested parties can view a subject so differently. It presents the case in a middle of the road view and throws the blame for the problem at both groups. If you ever wondered why the price of fish has become prohibitive, or how a major eco-system can be destroted while everyone talks, this is a book well worth reading. It is written in language that non-scientitsts can understand and enjoy.

GOOD READING ON FISHING ECOLOGY
This is an interesting, and very readable study of the problems that have caused major declines within the New England groundfishing industry, and how 2 seperate, but equally interested parties can view a subject so differently. It presents the case in a middle of the road view and throws the blame for the problem at both groups. If you ever wondered why the price of fish has become prohibitive, or how a major eco-system can be destroted while everyone talks, this is a book well worth reading. It is written in language that non-scientitsts can understand and enjoy. ... Read more

Book Description

Safe drinking water and effluent have long been dependent on the large-scale use of chlorine. Process Safety Management (PSM) and the Risk Management Program (RMP), safety regulations now enforced by OSHA and EPA are leading to serious reconsideration of chlorination as the preferred disinfection method. Renewed concern about the safety of chlorination by-products is also driving water and wastewater specialists and plant personnel to consider alternatives to traditional chlorine application. Choosing Disinfection Alternatives for Water/Wastewater Treatment is a practical explanation of all available disinfection technologies in light of management criteria: legal compliance, plant safety, effuent quality, and cost. This text is designed for all who must understand and act on the challenge of finding safe and equally effective methods of wastwater and water disinfection besides traditional chlorination. ... Read more

Book Description

Bill Hess —a noted photographer — began his association with the Inupiat Eskimos in 1982. Eventually, he got permission to accompany them on their historic whale hunt. This book is his record, in sensitive text and almost 200 stark images, of what he experienced. Hess explores Inupiat history and traditions juxtaposed against contemporary life, never shying away from the controversial aspects of this ancient trek. Gift of the Whale is a rare contribution to Native history. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Insightful & honest
Bill Hess is a very gifted photographer, who works almost exclusively in black and white. He has spent a great deal of time with the people the people of the North Slope whose lives are shared in this book. For a number of years he was under contract to the North Slope Borough to produce a magazine about life on the North Slope (Uinniq-The Open Lead, which makes it clear that the people of the North Slope felt that he represents them clearly and fairly.

One could enjoy this book for the photography alone, but it is so much more than that. Whaling is a central focus of North Slope Inupiat culture; it is an inextricable part. People here know that; and the whalers carry it out as a sacred trust on behalf of the whole community.

Stunning
This is a stunning visual presentation combined with a moving, unpretentious text. The drama of the three grey whales, the search for footprints . . . it is all powerful stuff. I have only been living in Barrow for nine months but so far there isn't a word that doesn't ring true.

Simply outstanding!
I have done a great deal of reading in my life, yet never have I been more absorbed in a book than I have in 'Gift of the Whale'. I highly recommend this elegant, enjoyable and informative piece of work.

Bill Hess Portrays the Reality of Arctic Life and Whaling
This book is a milestone among recent publications on Alaska because it portrays Alaska's Native people in an unvarnished and realistic way. This is NOT a commercial "coffee table book" or a series of pretty pictures suitable for note cards. A short story, hopefully, will illustrate my point.

When I was living in Barrow in the late 1980s, the mayor asked me to meet with a visiting photographer who had requested information on traditional whale hunting (I was a staff anthropologist at the time). The Anchorage photographer [NOT Bill Hess] wanted to "reconstruct" a whale hunt. This commercial photographer pleaded to have me call him in Anchorage next time a whale was harpooned so he could catch the next plane to Barrow (he had already talked the airline into sponsoring him). He promised that he would stage the photograph to show the local people in the best possible light and make them appreciated by all the tourists who come to Alaska.

After nearly throwing up, I politely told him that the Inupiat whale hunters were quite capable of taking care of themselves and did not need to be "airbrushed" and marketed for popular consumption.

Then I met Bill Hess. I immediately connected with his visceral understanding of Inupiat culture which he communicates so elegantly in words and photos in this book "Gift of the Whale." This book communicates a vision of contemporary Inupiat life that is unvarnished and somewhat raw; but - from my firsthand experience - authentic.

Bill Hess knows what it's like to sweat while breaking a sled trail through jumbled ice floes at 20 below. He earned his unique chance to communicate the symbiotic relationship between Inupiat hunters and the bowhead whale. This book takes the reader out onto the Arctic Ocean (in both its frozen and liquid state) and into the skin boats, skiffs, snowmachines and tents of crews who provide their families with life-giving food. The real stories (illustrated with stunning duotone photos of the people and the animals that are simultaneously revered and killed for survival) are more interesting and insightful than any pseudo-reality a market-driven journalist could create.

Bill Hess, through his photos and stories in this book, communicates how Inupiat culture continues to focus on the communal hunting and sharing of food for survival. This book communicates in vivid detail how impractical contemporary Western values of individual ego-driven materialism are when it's 20 below zero with the snow blowing sideways, and a fellow hunter is lost on the tundra. Bill illustrates how Inupiat society is built on respect and reverence for the resources and each other, keys to long-term survival in the Arctic. This book provides a visual banquet allowing the reader to enjoy and appreciate contemporary Inupiat whaling, life, and culture. ... Read more

Book Description

This third edition of Fish Nutrition is a comprehensive treatise on nutrient requirements and metabolism in major species of fish used in aquaculture or scientific experiments. It covers nutrients required and used in cold water, warm water, fresh water, and marine species for growth and reproduction. It also highlights basic physiology and biochemistry of the nutrients and applications of these principles to scientific and practical diet formulations and to manufacturing techniques for major species used worldwide in aquaculture.

*Nutrient requirements for dietary formulations for fish farming
*Digestive physiology
*Comparative nutritional requirements of different species
*Fish as unique animals for certain metabolic pathways ... Read more

Book Description

This book represents the Proceedings of the 37th EuropeanMarine Biology Symposium, held in Reykjavík, Iceland, 5-9August 2002. The main themes of the symposium were Migrations andDispersal of Marine Organisms. These themes are highly relevant today.There is widespread man-aided dispersal (e.g. by ballast water) ofmarine plants and animals, which may have substantial effects on theregions receiving new species. The new introductions may result inreduced diversity of plants and animals and may affect naturalresources in the countries receiving toxic algae and other foreignelements. Studies of changes in distribution and dispersal of marineanimals and plants are also highly relevant with reference to thechanging climate taking place. The study of dispersal has recentlygained new impetus with the discovery of the remarkable communitiesfound on isolated hydrothermal vents and cold water seeps in theworld's oceans. This book should appeal to a broad group of biologists, and especiallymarine ecologists. Four papers are based on keynote addresses, givenby world authorities in their respective fields, on the state of theart of different important aspects of dispersal and migrations. Theseare followed by papers covering a wide field, from the rafting ofmacrobenthic animals on human debris, the spread of the Chinese mittencrap in Europe, the migrations of diatoms, and the seasonal movementsof copepods, to mention but a few. ... Read more

Book Description

Washington State's best-selling and most comprehensive guidebook for sport fishing and boating. A county-by-county, lake-by-lake, stream-by-stream directory of 2,400 Washington freshwater and saltwater fishing areas, including Puget Soundsalt water , mountain lakes, and lowland lakes and rivers, plus public piers, boat ramps and accesses.. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Incredible Book
This is the most comprehensive book on Washington fishing that I've ever read. The information is just incredible. It's got everything a fishermen needs to know about just about every kind of fish in the state, and where and how to catch them.
Super book. ... Read more

Book Description

Efforts to direct the recovery of damaged sites and landscape date back as far as the 1930s. If we fully understood the conditions and controlling variables at restoration sites, we would be better equipped to predict the outcomes of restoration efforts. If there were no constraints, we could merely plant the restoration site and walk away. However, the development of restoration theory has not yet lead to predictability. The Handbook for Restoring Tidal Wetlands fills an important gap in current restoration ecology literature. It provides a broad-based compilation of case studies and principles to guide the management of tidal restoration sites. Thoroughly illustrated with more than 170 figures and tables, the book covers a full range of topics including:"the conceptual planning for coastal wetlands restoration"strategies for the manipulation of hydrology and soils"the reestablishment of vegetation and assemblages of fishes and invertebrates"the process of assessing, monitoring, and sustaining restored wetlandsCombining detailed examples from coastal research studies along the Pacific coast of southern California with information drawn from the literature on coastal restoration across the globe, the Handbook for Restoring Tidal Wetlands is a must-have guide if you are involved in coastal mitigation and restoration projects. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Practical book will be useful to restoration practitioners
Review of Handbook for Restoring Tidal Wetlands, J. B. Zedler, editor, CRC Press, 2000, 439 pp.

Reviewed by Kirk R. Barrett, Ph.D., P. E., P.W.S., Research Director Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute (MERI) Rutgers University CIMIC, Newark, New Jersey http://cimic.rutgers.edu/meri

This book helps fill a large gap in the wetland restoration literature. Although there are many articles on the subject there are few handbook-like treatments of wetland restoration and apparently no others specific to tidal wetlands. Given this fact alone, this book is certainly valuable to its intended audience of planners, practitioners, resource managers and students.

The book contains chapters by 6 different authors on hydrology and substrate, establishing vegetation, restoring invertebrates and fish communities, assessment and monitoring, and identifying and solving management problems; each chapter ends with its own thorough, up-to-date reference lists. In these chapters, the book lives up to its title of a handbook, providing specific, real-world, how-to (or how-not-to) advice. For example, very practical and helpful is the ordered list of issues to consider when designing hydrology and geomorphology. Also useful is a discussion of what methods of establishing vegetation (e. g., seeding) did and did not work in particular cases, and why.

Despite the numerous authors, the book holds together as a coherent, comprehensive treatment, rather than a collection of loosely related chapters. However, there are 25 "boxes" which are stand-alone vignettes on different topics, akin to what one would find at a "poster session" at a conference

I was disappointed when I learned that the book was heavily focused on southern California (all of the authors are or were associated with Pacific Estuarine Research Lab based at San Diego State University). All of the case studies are focused on this region, as are the 6 appendices comprising about 60 pages containing species lists and the like and, as such, are likely to be little use for those of us interested other areas. Over 60 plates contain wonderful pencil drawings of salt marsh biota. Unfortunately, the plates are not indexed nor integrated with the text, limiting their usefulness.

A major limitation of the book is its lack of information on costs. Also lacking is a discussion of special construction techniques appropriate for marsh restoration. Finally, I wish the book contained a systematic assessment including a statistical summary of the success of a significant number of salt-marsh restorations, but perhaps that is beyond the scope of a handbook. Perhaps these can be included in the next edition, along with a list of addresses for useful Worldwide Web sites.

Despite a few shortcomings, the book should be quite valuable to its intended audience by allowing them to learn from the experience of others. Indeed, before you invest ten or hundreds of thousands of dollars to design, build, monitor or manage a tidal wetland, invest $90 and a few hours to buy and read this book.

Note: The author of this review retains the right to distribute, to publish, assign rights to publish this review elsewhere. ... Read more

Book Description

Referred to in the Bible, pictured on the wall-friezes of ancient Egyptian tombs, and a subject of fascination for generations of scientists, the tilapias (Cichlidae: Tilapiini) have featured in the diet and culture of humankind for thousands of years. The present century has seen their spread from Africa throughout the tropics and sub-tropics, largely for food and fisheries purposes.This book attempts to pull together our knowledge of this important group -- their biology and fisheries and aquaculture -- in a single volume, something that has not been done comprehensively for nearly two decades. A succession of chapters by acknowledged authorities covers evolution, phylogenetic relationships and biogeography, reproductive biology, mating systems and parental care, diet, feeding and digestive physiology, environmental physiology and energetics, the role of tilapias in ecosystems, population dynamics and management, genetics, seed production, nutrition, farming, economics and marketing. The book is aimed at biologists, fisheries scientists, aquaculturists, and all interested in aquatic ecology. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Long overdue
An international panel of contributors give us an overview of the present situation in sea ice research. It covers the physical and chemical properties of sea ice and its role in the global climate. A large part of the book is given to the imoprtance of sea ice in marine biology. That is an area long overlooked by textbooks. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

aquaculture
easily understood study of aquaculture methods suitable for both the student and anyone interested in fish nutrition or the formulation of baits for carp covering all aspects from water quality to nutrition desease economics and selective species from both pisciculture and crustaceans well worth the investment ... Read more

Book Description

A comprehensive, illustrated and authoritative guide.

Keeping koi is one of the pinnacles of the fishkeeper's art. These magnificent and often expensive fish have inspired a fanatical following, with collectors prepared to devote a lot of time and resources to creating a flourishing koi pond.

One of the top priorities for koi keepers is coping with fish that become ill. Left untreated, many fish suffer and die.

Manual of Koi Health offers practical advice about disease diagnosis, prevention and treatment. The book is written by two experienced koi professionals and internationally recognized experts. It includes a complete listing of all common koi diseases and how to treat them.

Written for non-technical readers, it explains treatments for: - Parasites - Bacterial, fungal and viral infections - Ulcers, lesions and wounds - Stress conditions.

Preventative measures are also explained. Poor water quality is the most prevalent cause of disease in koi. Water testing and the best way to maintain healthy water conditions are covered in detail.

The book is profusely illustrated with color photographs, and step-by-step instructions provide easy-to-follow directions for a wide range of procedures such as how to handle, anaesthetize and take samples from koi.

Manual of Koi Health is a vital reference for every koi keeper. ... Read more

Book Description

Rich with detail and provocatively argued, this study of the development of property rights in the world's fisheries tells the story of one industry's evolution and provides a useful illustration of the forces that shape economic institutions. The emergence of exclusive individual rights of access in the fishing industry began after the revolution in the international law of the sea that took place in the 1970s, when the offshore area controlled by a nation for fish and other resources expanded from 3 miles to 200 miles. Rgnvaldur Hannesson compares the subsequent development of private property rights in the fisheries to the historic enclosures and clearances of common land in England and Scotland and finds many parallels, including bitter fights over access rights and the impossibility of accommodating all those who want to stake a claim. Overall benefit to society in the form of increased efficiency, he points out, does not mean that all benefit equally. After tracing the development of the law of the sea since the sixteenth century, Hannesson considers what form property rights in fisheries might take and examines the forces behind the establishment of exclusive use rights to fish. He argues that one form of exclusive use rights, individual transferable quotas (ITQs), best promotes efficiency in the use of fish resources. He presents case studies of ITQ development, ranging from successful establishment in Canada and New Zealand to failures in Chile and Norway to experiments with ITQs in Iceland and the United States. The development of economic institutions, he concludes, is an evolutionary process subject to contradictory influences. ... Read more