Aquaculture Nutrition: Gut Health, Probiotics and Prebiotics

Manipulation of the microbial gut content of farmed fishes and crustaceans can have a marked effect on their general health, growth, and quality. Expertly covering the science behind the use of prebiotics and probiotics this landmark book explains how the correct manipulation of the gut flora of farmed fishes and crustaceans can have a positive effect on their health, growth rates, feed utilization, and general wellbeing. Aquaculture Nutrition : Gut Health , Probiotics and Prebiotics provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge of the gut microbiomes of fish and their importance with respect to host–fish health and performance, providing  in–depth, cutting–edge fundamental and applied information. Written by many of the world’s leading authorities and edited by Dr Daniel Merrifield and Professor Einar Ringø, this important book discusses in detail the common mechanisms for modulating microbiomes, particularly at the gut level (e.g. probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics). The book is a key resource for an understanding of the historical development of these products, their known mechanisms of action and their degree of efficacy as presently demonstrated in the literature. The fundamental material provided on the gut microbiota itself, and more broad aspects of microbe–live feed interactions, provide essential reading for researchers, academics and students in the areas of aquaculture nutrition, fish veterinary science, microbiology, aquaculture, fish biology and fisheries. Those involved in the development and formulation of aquaculture feeds and those with broader roles within the aquaculture industry will find a huge wealth of commercially–important information within the book’s covers. All libraries in universities and research establishments where biological sciences, nutrition and aquaculture are studied and taught, should have copies of this excellent book on their shelves.

Daniel Merrifield is a Lecturer in Aquatic Biosciences at Plymouth University, UK. His research specialises on fish–microbe interactions and gut health, within the context of aquaculture and fish production. He has published over 50 peer–reviewed papers on the gut microbiomes of fish and associated applications for fortifying these microbial communities, in order to improve the health, welfare and growth performance of important farmed fish species and model organisms. Einar Ringø is a Professor at the Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway. He is the author of numerous journal articles, reviews and book chapters. He received his M.S. degree (1982) in microbiology from the University of Tromsø and his Ph.D. degree (1994) in microbiology and lipid nutrition from the University of Tromsø.