The first edition of this book on diagnosis and control of diseases in North American marine aquaculture was published in 1977, with the promise that the material would be updated frequently, in view of the rapid expansion of marine aquaculture and the importance of disease control to successful production. Now, ten years later, the promised update has finally been prepared, incorporating new information that has been published in the intervening time.

The concept and format of the book remain the same - to present information on disease diagnosis and control in a concise standard format, emphasising those diseases which affect survival of cultured populations. Because of the amount of new material, many new sections have been added, and some of the previous sections have been rewritten entirely or almost so. This is particularly true of the section on penaeid shrimp, which now contains current descriptions of 28 diseases.

As with the original edition, many disease specialists have contributed individually authored sections in their areas of expertise. The editors have authored some of the major sections and have added introductory material, but the work represents a genuine group effort.

The volume will be essential reading for all those involved in the diagnosis and control of disease in aquacultured species throughout the world, and indeed for aquaculturists in general.