Aquacultural Engineering 1 (1982) 235-237

BOOK REVIEWS

Aquacultural Engineering (Ocean Engineering Series). By F. W. Wheaton. John Wiley

& Sons, Inc., New York, 1977. 680pp. ISBN 0-471-93755-X. Price: £25.90 ($52.25).

This is a classic, the first real attempt to bring together into one book the necessary
background data/theory necessary to any engineering activity in the field of intensive
cultivation of aquatic organisms.
The book is divided into two parts, (a) Natural Aquatic Systems and (b) Aquatic
Culture System Design, with the author admitting in the preface that he had deliber-
ately left out many of 'the economic problems encountered in conjunction with the
translation of this technology into economically viable enterprises' as well as 'the pro-
cessing of aquatic products'. This was justified by inclusion being 'beyond the range of
adequate coverage'.
I believe that the author could well have been justified in creating two volumes, for,
in many respects, the condensation into one book has reduced the value of this work.
However, there has been nothing since 1977 which merits the praise that this book
should be given and congratulations are accorded to the author for attempting to
present an aquacultural engineering handbook.
The criticism made with respect to the book's scale of operation is really where the
engineering can be taken to task - much of the background data to things like instru-
ments, flow, pumps, etc., are levelled at the biologist, e.g. 'pumps are often viewed as
mysterious devices'. The credibility of the book as an effective/efficient bible for
aquacultural engineering has therefore to be questioned. This should not, however,
detract the purchaser from the value that the author has put into the chapters and
sub-headings. This can be beautifully illustrated in Chapter 12 (Ponds, tanks and other
impounding structures); with only 48 pages it is woefully inadequate. However, as a
background to the engineering problems associated with the design of ponds, tanks
and other impounding structures, to the structures that have been tried, and to the
enquiring researcher, this chapter does satisfy two objectives:
(1) to make the biologist aware of the engineering problems and limitations, and
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Aquacultural Engineering (1) 1982 - © Applied Science Publishers Ltd, England, 1982
Printed in Great Britain
236 BOOK REVIEWS

(2) to direct the engineer towards related background reading in the field of aqua-
cultural engineering.
It is in Part II, Aquatic Culture System Design, that the author really gets to grips
with the problems confronting tile aquacultural engineer. This covers Chapter 7
through to Chapter 15. Chapter 7 - Modified Systems, i.e. open systems, senti-closed
systems and closed systems; Chapter 8 Water Supply, i.e. quantities, quality and
sources; Chapter 9 Fluids, i.e. fluid statics, dynamics and open channel flow;
Chapter 1 0 - Measurement and Instrumentation, in particular liquid level and flow;
Chapter 11 Pumps of all types; Chapter 12 Ponds, Tanks and Other Impounding
Structures: Chapter 13 Filtration, both mechanical filters and gravity settling,
chemical filtration and biological filtration; Chapter 14 - Disinfection using Chlorine,
heat, UV light and ozone; Chapter 15 Aeration, the basic theory and types of
aeration equipment. Analysis of the chapter contents, however, raises an interesting
q u e s t i o n - how important is filtration in the field of aquaculture technology? This
(Chapter 13) certainly dominates the second half of the book. For that reason 1 believe
that it should have been sub-divided into three separate chapters, i.e. Mechanical
filtration and gravity settling; Chemical filtration, Ion exchange and foam fractiona-
tion, and, finally, Biological filtration. This was done with the fluid mechanics section
(Chapters 9, 10 and 11) and it serves to illustrate my earlier comment that this book
should be released as two volumes, and I look forward to the 2nd edition should it
ever be considered by the author. The author may, however, feel that once was enough
and 1 personally would not blame him for that. Finally, the Ocean Engineering Series
editors and Professor Wheaton in particular should be congratulated in publishing
Aquacultural Engineering as long ago as 1977, for it has provided a handbook that has
saved hundreds of hours of literature searching and left the researcher with the con-
fidence that this book has brought together much of the state-of-the-art information
scattered through the 50-100 different journals, or not published at all. Whether the
journal of Aquacultural Engineering will help to support this remains to be seen.
However, no serious aquacultural technologist should exclude Professor Wheaton's
book from his personal library.

Fish and Invertebrate Culture: Water Management in Closed Systems. 2nd Edition.
By S. Spotte. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1979.160 pp. ISBN 0-471-02306-X.
Price: £16.85.

This is a good up-date on the 1st Edition published in 1970. The author does admit
to an important point in the preface to the new edition - 'I have limited the field to
aquariums, which have low densities of animals. Hatchery and aquaculture installations
often have different problems because animal densities are higher.' This must not be