A Review of “Aquaculture and Fisheries Biotechnology, Genetic Approaches, 2nd Edition”

Abstract

This book by Rex Dunham, a fish geneticist internationally known for his research on the genetic improvement of catfish, is a thorough update of a previous edition published in 2004. It provides, in 26 chapters, a comprehensive description of the general principles of fish genetics and their applications to aquaculture, from traditional selective breeding to gene transfer technology. New in this edition are several useful chapters explaining fundamental concepts in genetics, two chapters focused on interand intraspecific hybridization, a chapter in responses to selection, and a brief introduction to the rapidly expanding field of genomics. The book also illustrates the scholarship of the author by including an overview of the social aspects of aquaculture biotechnology, from a chapter on the history of biotechnology, genetics, and selective breeding (chapter 1) to a discussion of the ethical and regulatory issues related to the use of biotechnology in aquaculture (chapters 20–25). The last chapter in the book poses the challenges facing aquaculture genetics in the near future, and provides some interesting recommendations on what areas need more attention, from student training to issues in biodiversity, politics, and international development. The book is strongly focused on the applications of genetics and biotechnology to the genetic improvement of fish and shellfish species for aquaculture, with only a relatively brief discussion of applications of biotechnology to fisheries management in chapters 12 and 13. These chapters provide a description of molecular markers, basic concepts in population genetics, and a discussion of the consequences of interactions of hatchery and wild fish. Some key genetic concepts relevant to fisheries applications, such as random genetic drift and bottlenecks, are also discussed in chapter 5 (“Population Size, Inbreeding, Random Genetic Drift, and Maintenance of Genetic Quality”). In addition to a description of key concepts in genetics, the author includes a list of examples illustrating the status of past and present research in the field in each chapter. These examples are generally focused on catfish, oysters, and salmonids, the major aquaculture species in the US. Most of the chapters, in particular those dedicated to selective breeding, polyploidy, hybridization, and gene transfer technology, build directly upon the author’s wealth of practical experience in the field of fish genetics. The book also provides a useful glossary with definitions of key concepts in genetics, and, in some chapters, a very brief summary of key points. This expansive book, however, may not be an easy resource for teaching or for introducing fish genetics to the layperson, since there are only a few of the useful diagrams and figures used in textbooks to illustrate key concepts. Moreover, the order in which some of the concepts are presented is not necessarily intuitive and will require a relatively good foundation in genetics or easy access to a good basic textbook in genetics (or to the very didactic primer on fish breeding “Genetics for Fish Hatchery Managers” by Douglas Tave, published in 1993 by Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, USA). For those interested in using this book to learn more about the potential applications of genetics and biotechnology to aquaculture, I would recommend reading chapter 19 first (“Commercial Application of Fish Biotechnology”), since it provides a useful brief general overview on which technologies are most commonly applied to improve commercial farming. This expanded edition of “Aquaculture and Fisheries Biotechnology, Genetic Approaches” by Rex Dunham is an erudite resource in fish genetics and a useful reference, specially for those interested in responsibly using genetics to improve aquaculture species.