Nutritional Marine Life

The first book of its kind, this text explores the nutritional characteristics of different groups of edible marine life. Edible species of phytoplankton, seaweeds and marsh plants, jellyfish, crustaceans, mollusks, fish, echinoderms, prochordate, fish, turtles, and mammals are examined. For each species, the book also reviews its classification, common name, habitat, global distribution, and biological features. The highly accessible style and high-quality photographs make it easy to identify the nutritionally and commercially important marine species along with their essential features and nutritional facts.

The nutritional benefits of marine flora and fauna are well known. Fish and crustaceans provide high-quality sources of amino acids—nutritionally

important proteins found in only small amounts in cereals and grains. Nutrients and minerals in seafood can improve brain development and reproduction and there are strong links between fish and heart health. Similarly, other organisms such as phytoplankton and invertebrates possess several nutrients of health importance. All of these benefits are critical to global nutrition and particularly important to food-deficient, low-income countries.

The first book of its kind, Nutritional Marine Life explores the nutritional characteristics of the different species of the following groups of edible marine life:

• Phytoplankton
• Seaweeds and marsh plants
• Jellyfish
• Crustaceans
• Mollusks
• Echinoderms
• Prochordate
• Fish
• Turtles
• Mammals

For each species, the book discusses its classification, common name, habitat, global distribution, biological features, and nutritional facts. The highly accessible style and high-quality photographs make it easy to identify nutritionally and commercially important marine species. The book is ideal for students and researchers in fisheries and aquaculture and in related marine biology and biotechnology disciplines. It is also suitable as a reference for practitioners in those fields as well as dieticians, food scientists, and physicians interested in knowing about the health benefits of seafood.