Book excerpt: Intensive systems require a high degree of technical and management skill, enabling fish to be produced on a predictable volume basis to correspond with the needs of modern food processing and distribution. Now available in paperback, Intensive Fish Farming explains, at a level suited to both the professional and the student, the environmental requirements of fish, the different husbandry systems used, the problems of reprduction, nutrition and disease control. The editors have assembled an international team of experts to provide one of the most authoritative and comprehensive reference works available in this field, meeting the needs of both the academic and commercial world. Separate chapters consider the different aspects of successful intensification operations drawing on examples from the marine farming industry of Japan and the freshwater farming industries of the USA and Israel. A concluding chapter highlights current world trends and future prospects. The overall emphasis of this exceptional text is on the technical and economic factors which determine success in this important growth area of food production.