Environmental Effects on Seafood Availability, Safety, and Quality

An essential part of diverse marine ecosystems, seafood organisms are especially vulnerable to changes in their natural habitats that affect their reproductive abilities, growth rate, and mutual inter- and intra-species interactions. Environmental Effects on Seafood Availability, Safety, and Quality Issues discusses a variety of factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic to the marine environment, and their potential to influence the availability of finfish/shellfish, their nutritional value, quality attributes, and the safety issues at the time of capture. It also covers the handling of newly caught finfish/shellfish aboard the fishing vessel. Edited by experts, with contributions from scientists and practitioners in marine biology/ecology and seafood applied sciences, the book examines direct, short term or indirect, long-term implications on seafood safety and quality caused by seawater pollution/contamination destabilizing marine habitats. It also covers the cumulative effects of toxic compounds in finfish and shellfish tissues and the effects of overfishing such as dead zones, toxic algal blooms, and jellyfish explosions. In addition to the harmful effects of overfishing and environmental pollution/contamination to the productivity and well-being of seafood resources and marine ecosystems in general, the book details how the capture fisheries also suffer from climate change, affecting fish migrations and the stocks accessibility. Overexploitation, overpopulation, and improper human activities result in destruction, shrinkage, fragmentation, and pollution of the natural habitat of marine life, especially the spawning ground. Interdisciplinary in nature, this book elucidates the environmental limitations, the abiotic, biotic, and anthropogenic factors affecting the catch, and the influence of global warming. It offers a smart way to understand and properly use seafood resources in order to maintain sustainable availability of the capture and culture of seafood resources, especially under the contingency of global warming.