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The Shrimp Book
A Reference Book on World Shrimp Farming
Edited by Dr. Victoria Alday-Sanz (more below), The Shrimp Book—a book about world shrimp farming—contains 920 pages, 33 chapters and sells for $320! The index is 18 pages long with about 900 entries. One chapter has 480 references, taking up 25 pages. Divided into six sections (history, biology, production systems, feeds, biosecurity/disease and marketing), the book reviews the shrimp farming research of the last thirty years. Although it covers business issues and farming strategies, it’s mostly about the evolution of scientific developments within the industry. Written by the people that did the basic research and participated in the development of the industry, it’s the kind of book you keep on your desk when you need to check a fact or to look up something about shrimp farming. With this book, you can zero in on dozens of shrimp farming research topics faster than you can do it on the Internet!
What’s in The Shrimp Book?
You can view the 33 chapter headings and author’s names at the publisher’s website (Nottingham University Press). Click on this link to read reviews of The Shrimp Book that appeared in other aquaculture publications like Hatchery International and Aquaculture Asia Pacific. Also, there was a discussion of the book on The Shrimp List (January 27-29, 2011, topic “The Shrimp Book”), a mailing list for shrimp farmers. The above sources go into great detail about what’s in the book.
From the Preface
You can also get a good idea of what’s in the book from editor Victoria Alday-Sanz’s comments in the book’s preface:
During my years of investigating shrimp diseases, I often needed information from other sectors of the shrimp farming industry to understand a particular disease process. Much of the information I was looking for was not in peer review papers, but was scattered in industry magazines and conference proceedings or could only be obtained by talking with shrimp farmers. One thing was obvious, the information needed was not always easy to find—which led me to this book, the reference book that I would like to have on my desk. I wanted a book that would provide background information on current production practices and access to research in the various specialized areas of shrimp farming. Importantly, I also felt that such a book should include some speculation on the future of shrimp farming from colleagues who had spent years studying their specialties.
No attempt was made to produce conformity to a standard style or structure. Depending on their background and experience, some authors provided discussions of general ideas or practices, while others provided detailed treatments of the current state of knowledge in specific areas. Given the different nationalities, specialties and personalities of the authors, the writing styles varied greatly, which was inevitable and welcomed.
Never Judge a Book by Its Cover
About the cover of The Shrimp Book, Alday-Sanz says: The cover of the book deserves an explanation. First, the title, if it borders on arrogance, I apologize, but in my defense, I would argue that it is simple, fresh and, I hope, amusing. The cover photograph reflects the work, personality and circumstances of the great Spanish artist Jordi Bernadó to whom I dared to ask for a photograph. Bernadó’s cover has elements of the absurd with a touch of humor. The perplexity that it presents leads the mind to play with meanings and ideas, which in the arts and sciences are the essential elements of productive creativity. With the cover, as with the rest of this book, it is ultimately up to you, the reader, to do the “reading”.
Shrimp News: I did my “reading” of the cover and came up with a blank. But there’s no problem understanding the book, it’s loaded with the kind of information you might need some day. You won’t find this much good background information on shrimp farming in any other single source. I recommend it for anyone who writes about shrimp farming, including: researchers, journalists, laymen and shrimp farmers.
Editor Victoria Alday-Sanz has worked on shrimp diseases for over 20 years, specializing in diagnostics, legislation, health management and biosecurity. She has collaborated with international organizations, financial and insurance companies and shrimp farmers worldwide. She carries out R&D activities for private companies and maintains links to the academic world through the University of Ghent in Belgium and teaching at other institutions. She is an associate editor for the Journal of the World Aquaculture society and has been a columnist for the Global Aquaculture Advocate for over 10 years. She has published approximately 30 papers in peer reviewed journals, 50 articles in industry magazines and is co-author, together with Professor Tim Flegel, of the CD-ROM: Diagnosis of Shrimp Diseases with Emphasis on Penaeus monodon. Presently, she is the Shrimp Health Director of Pescanova, the largest shrimp-farming venture in the Western Hemisphere.
Information: Victoria Alday-Sanz, D.V.M., M.Sc., Ph.D., Aquatic Animal Health Consultant, Gran Via 658, 4-1, 08010 Barcelona, Spain (phone +34-615557844, email victoria_alday@yahoo.com).
Information: Emily Milsom, Marketing and Production Assistant, Nottingham University Press, Manor Farm, Church Lane, Thrumpton, Nottingham NG11 0AX, United Kingdom (phone + 44 (0) 1159 831011, fax 44 (0) 870 4205201, milsom@nupsales.co.uk, webpage http://www.nup.com).
Sources: 1. The Shrimp Book. Editor, Victoria Alday-Sanz. Nottingham University Press. United Kingdom. 2010. 2. Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International, April 22, 2011.
