Our coastline extends from the tropical waters of the north to the temperate waters in the south, and attracts thousands of swimmers, sailors, skindivers, fishers, naturalists and beach walkers. This heavily illustrated and informative book identifies those animals in the sea that might cause injury and which can, by taking precautions, be avoided. These include jellyfish, sea anemones, corals, octopus, squids and cuttlefish. A glossary of technical terms and a comprehensive index will help readers to quickly access this information.

Jellyfish form spectacular population blooms and there is compelling evidence that jellyfish blooms are becoming more frequent and widespread. Blooms have enormous ecological, economic, and social impacts. For example, they have been implicated in the decline of commercial fisheries, they block the cooling water intakes of coastal industries and ships, and reduce the amenity of coastal waters for tourists. Blooms may be caused by overfishing, climate change, and coastal pollution, which all affect coastal waters around the world. Jellyfish Blooms: Causes, Consequences and Recent Advances presents reviews and original research articles written by the world’s leading experts on jellyfish. Topics covered include the evolution of jellyfish blooms, the impacts of climate change on jellyfish populations, advances in acoustic and molecular methods used to study jellyfish, the role of jellyfish in food webs and nutrient cycles, and the ecology of the benthic stages of the jellyfish life history. This is a valuable resource for students and professional marine biologists, fisheries scientists, oceanographers, and researchers of climate change.

The purpose of this book is to provide an organized compilation of information and techniques for all aspects of the biology and management of the Acanthaster planci species. This extraordinary coral predator has greater effects on coral reef communities than any other animal species. It can cause mortality of hard corals over large areas and have indirect effects that extend through the trophic levels of the reef community. This volume features A planci as an animal with a unique combination of morphological, physiological, and life history characteristics that contribute to its potential for major ecological impacts. It provides detailed techniques for disparate aspects of research and management (e.g., raising the animal through all life history stages, calculating growth curves, and treating victims of spinings). Chapters cover methods for surveys, tagging, and control of A. planci, in addition to an assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of each method. The extensive subject index includes more than 1,000 references to A. planci and a BASIC program for estimating coral recovery after predation by the starfish. Acanthaster planci: Major Management Problem of Coral Reefs is an essential reference for all coral reef managers and researchers.

Seas and oceans cover 71 % of the earth’s surface and they are home to 80% of all life found on the planet . Among the different components of marine life, the phylum Cnidaria (formerly Coelenterata) has been reported to be responsible for more envenomations than any other marine phylum. It is believed that 2% of its known 11000 species are venomous to humans. Incidents caused by jellyfish are common all around the globe, with serious manifestations and occasional deaths reported in some countries. The Australian box jellyfish, Chironex fleckeri , has been reported to be very dangerous to humans, as contact with its tentacles can provoke immediate cardiovascular collapse and death within minutes. Though other volumes on venomous marine fauna are available, this is the first comprehensive book focusing on venomous marine cnidarians. It is a valuable text-cum-reference resource for researchers, teachers and students of various disciplines, including fisheries science, marine biotechnology and marine biology and for university and college libraries. It is also a useful guide for beachgoers, divers, physicians and environmentalists.

Echinoderms, including feather stars, seastars, brittle stars, sea urchins and sea cucumbers, are some of the most beautiful and interesting animals in the sea. They play an important ecological role and several species of sea urchins and sea cucumbers form the basis of important fisheries. Over 1000 species live in Australian waters, from the shoreline to the depths of the abyssal plain and the tropics to Antarctic waters. Australian Echinoderms is an authoritative account of Australia’s 110 families of echinoderms. It brings together in a single volume comprehensive information on the identification, biology, evolution, ecology and management of these animals for the first time. Richly illustrated with beautiful photographs and written in an accessible style, Australian Echinoderms suits the needs of marine enthusiasts, academics and fisheries managers both in Australia and other geographical areas where echinoderms are studied.

This volume, the proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Coelenterate Biology, is organized as the meeting was around six topics. Because several sessions of ICCB7 constituted the 2003 North American meeting of the International Society for Reef Studies, the subject of coral reefs is strongly represented in the section on Ecology. The other themes are Neurobiology; Reproduction, Development, and Life Cycles; Pioneers in Coelenterate Biology; Cnidae; and Taxonomy and Systematics. Ctenophores, as well as representatives of all four classes of cnidarians are among the study subjects of the research reported in this volume. The theme of variability runs through the volume - be it in cnidae, morphology, behavior, neurobiology, ecology, colony form, or reproduction, variability is a major reason these animals are so interesting and challenging to study This is a must-read resource for anyone doing research - or planning to do research - on cnidarians and ctenophores.