The genesis of this book is outlined in the editors' preface; it was born at a conference in 2003 from a concern that knowledge and understanding of ecological processes of seamount ecosystems are running behind the fisheries that are associated with these features. The book developed through a workshop, held in 2005, which was remarkable for letting all participants present their thoughts on every draft contribution. It demonstrated the editors' commitment to ensure that no seamount subject matter was left in isolation, which has now paid off in the resulting book.

The book is aimed at research workers and non-specialist stakeholders, and will also serve marine science and conservation students. It represents the first major compilation of seamount-related research since the publication of a primarily geological-focused monograph in 1987 and a review paper in 1994. The book comprises 21 chapters that progress through a number of themes and ultimately the exploitation, management and conservation of seamounts. The book has brought together scientists and environmentalists with expertise and experience of a range of subjects related to seamounts and is an impressive collection of the latest thoughts.

Many of the figures that illustrate the text are good and in colour, though not all chapters are equally well illustrated. I am sure readers would have enjoyed seeing images of the magnificent fauna that inhabit seamounts. The book is handsomely produced and the pages are clean and light in appearance. However, the book is heavy and hopefully it will eventually appear in paperback.

The initial two chapters that described the origins and distribution of seamounts are an excellent primer and a valuable single source for the non-geologist. Chapter 3 on the history of seamount research is a quirky, yet appealing, inclusion. It is a useful reminder of the development of understanding to date. The chapter on biophysical processes was a delightfully structured read and a nice exposé of the dangers of generalizing for seamounts. The words ‘may’, ‘can’ and ‘sometimes’ cropping up here first before being repeated throughout subsequent chapters. Not all seamounts are alike and the book is at pains to recognize and acknowledge that fact.

A treatment of plankton begins the chapters on biology and ecology. This chapter also takes up the gauntlet of exploring and exploding one of the many received wisdoms about seamount systems. The importance of enhanced horizontal flux of organic matter as a driving force for plankton assemblages associated with seamounts is given its proper place in this chapter, with an account of the latest research on fish fauna introducing further complexity. I read the next chapters with some more understanding of the scenario than for the previous chapters and found them a little less satisfying. The authors are forced to present the opinion held by seamount benthic ecologists of how little is known about these habitats, and how generalizations based on scant data have solidified into a widely held ‘seamount belief system’. The chapter on seamount benthos points out that seamounts are important habitats, but balances this observation with criticism of the too-frequently used tag of seamount ‘uniqueness’. Clearly there is much more to learn about the seabed fauna of seamounts and their relationship with other habitats.

The following five chapters deal with individual components of the fauna, namely corals, demersal fish, large pelagic fish, cephalopods, marine mammals, turtles and seabirds. The inclusion of whole chapters on the likes of corals (a thorough and useful treatment) is understandable given their physical prominence and their place in the collective seamount conscious. Other fauna, such as the cephalopods, perhaps do not warrant such exposure. I am sure these chapters will act as very useful synopses of the nature of apparent attraction of seamounts for whales, dolphins and seals.

The next three chapters are presented as ‘synoptic views of seamounts’. The first is the biogeography and biodiversity of seamounts and begins as a methodical compilation of the information. Unfortunately, it does not end by proposing some sort of biogeographical scheme that could be examined or tested in the future. The opportunity to present something ‘new’ was not ignored by the next two synoptic chapters which proposed a trophic ‘framework’ and an ecosystem model, which I feel are useful and possibly brave contributions to the field. The last chapter in this theme section ends by venturing into the realms of fisheries and management which is the topic of the final section of the book.

The final section of the book becomes more than a natural sciences text book and makes an admirable attempt to tackle the societal issues around seamounts (i.e. the impact of fishing, and the management and conservation of these habitats). Despite the wealth of fishery data that exists it can be very difficult to compile and marshal this information to tell a coherent story. The authors of the three chapters on fisheries do a commendable job at condensing information into a concise and readable form. Quite an achievement and one for which most people will not appreciate the effort involved. Disturbance of seamount systems by fishing has been a growing concern recently, but few studies have looked at the effects of fishing on deep-sea habitats. The authors of this chapter have had to draw from a wider canon of literature until more pertinent studies are undertaken and/or reported upon.

The management and conservation chapter is a very welcome synopsis of the many existing management issues, tools and strategies. This is a very fast-changing area and I imagine that this chapter will shortly require amendments. The chapter ends usefully by focusing on matters in international waters.

The last chapter of the book summarizes, as successfully as it is possible, the preceding chapters before setting out a ‘novel’ ecosystem evaluation framework. This framework represents a worthy attempt to allow an assessment of what is known about a particular seamount and the anthropogenic threats that it may face. It is a fairly basic schema, but nonetheless useful as a ‘first-pass’ and the basis for standard comparisons. However, I feel the summary is unnecessary and perhaps self-defeating (the individual chapters are already summaries) and the evaluation schema could have been presented as part of a related contribution in an earlier chapter. Better perhaps to have concluded with an outline of the main outstanding seamount issues and to propose the sorts of scientific and societal strategies that are now required to address these. That said, this book is a very important contribution to the seamount field and I feel safe in predicting that it will be a valuable resource for researchers and stakeholders for many years to come.