Biology and Ecology of Edible Marine Gastropod Molluscs

This comprehensive volume focuses exclusively on sea snails (or gastropods), which are popular food items and occupy an important role in the commercial shell craft industry. Familiar examples include conchs (highly sought after due to their mild flavor) and escargot, abalone, and periwinkle snails.

This book covers the profile (habitat, distribution, morphology, food and feeding, reproduction, conservation status, etc.) of about 180 species of commercial edible marine gastropod molluscs as well as their nutritional values, commercial importance, and pharmaceutical value. Also included is information on their prevalent diseases and parasites. The informative descriptions are presented in an easy-to-read style with neat illustrations.

Introduction

Dr. Ramasamy Santhanam is the former Dean of the Fisheries College and Research Institute at the Tamilnadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Thoothukudi, India. His fields of specialization are Marine Biology and Fisheries Environment. Presently he is serving as a resource person for various universities in India. He has also served as an expert for the Environment Management Capacity Building, a World Bank-aided project of the Department of Ocean Development, India. He was a member of the American Fisheries Society, the World Aquaculture Society, the Global Fisheries Ecosystem Management Network (GFEMN), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Commission on Ecosystem Management, Switzerland. To his credit, Dr. Santhanam has over 20 books on fisheries science/marine biology as well as 70 research papers.