The adverse conditions of polluted environments, research laboratories and fish culture facilities can cause stress in fish, which often has negative effects on their growth and health. This authoritative 1997 work explores the basic stress response in fish and points to areas of interesting research, particularly in the field of aquaculture.

The principal themes of this 1997 book are stress and health in fish. Stress is of central concern in aquaculture, as the various stressors which accompany intensive fish husbandry can predispose the fish to compromised growth and health, and promote disease. The book comprises a comprehensive collection of chapters which describe potential stressors and the stress responses of fishes, as well as relevant information about the effects of factors such as nutrition. A discussion of various methods of detecting stressed states in fish in the lab as well as in the field is also included. In addition to the physiological stress response as manifest in changes in the endocrine system or acid-base and ionic balance, behavioural aspects of stress in fish are also covered.