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Fisheries Acoustics
Fish researchers (a.k.a. fish freaks) like to explain, to the bemused bystander, how
fish have evolved an astonishing array of adaptations, so much so that it can be difficult
for them to comprehend why anyone would study anything else. Yet, at the
same time, fish are among the last wild creatures on our planet that are hunted by
humans for sport or food. As a consequence, today we recognize that the reconciliation
of exploitation with the conservation of biodiversity provides a major challenge
to our current scientific knowledge and expertise. Even evaluating the trade-offs
that are needed is a difficult task. Moreover, solving this pivotal issue calls for a
multidisciplinary convergence of fish physiology, biology and ecology with social sciences
such as economics and anthropology in order to probe the frontiers of applied
science. In addition to food, recreation (and inspiration for us fish freaks), it has,
moreover, recently been realized that fish are essential components of aquatic ecosystems
that provide vital services to human communities. Sadly, virtually all sectors
of the stunning biodiversity of fishes are at risk from human activities. In fresh water,
for example, the largest mass extinction event since the end of the dinosaurs occurred
as a result of the introduction of Nile perch to Lake Victoria, which eliminated over
100 species of endemic haplochromine fish. But, at the same time, precious food and
income from the Nile perch fishery was created in a miserably poor region. In the
oceans, we have barely begun to understand the profound changes that have accompanied
a vast expansion of human fishing over the past 100 years. The Blackwell
Publishing Fish and Aquatic Resources Series is an initiative aimed at providing key,
peer-reviewed texts in this fast-moving field.
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