Great White sharks, attracted by an offshore seal colony, have brought success to the adjacent fishing village of Gansbaai along the southern African coast. A flourishing shark cage diving industry has sprung up, bringing jobs and money, and so benefiting almost the entire community. Tourists come from far and near to experience the thrill of a real-life brush with the legendary ‘Jaws’. Shark Town, as it has become known, is booming. Then one day, the sharks disappear. Slowly at first, but with gathering momentum, the word spreads: cage diving off Gansbaai can no longer promise the thrill of an encounter. The crowds thin, the boats remain at their moorings, and the once bustling community waits as their livelihoods tail off. Entrepreneurs and scientists alike are baffled.

But it’s not long before shark carcasses start washing up on the beaches. These, together with some coincidental sightings of another apex predator in the vicinity, are the first leads to the possible causes and culprits. Against the clamour and thrill of the cage-diving season in full swing, Richard Peirce visits the unfolding drama and explores what’s behind these strange events.

Several cyanobacterial species can produce powerful toxins that provide a serious threat for water quality, other aquatic organisms, and human health. These harmful cyanobacteria are especially prominent in freshwater ecosystems, and are a major concern for water managers.The purpose of this work is to provide an up-to-date overview of the advances in our knowledge of harmful cyanobacteria. The work is directed towards graduate students and scientists in aquatic microbiology, aquatic ecology, environmental toxicology, and water management, and academic professionals in water management and environmental policy.

Your Informative (and Entertaining!) Guide to Fly Fishing Fly fishing is a wonderful way to catch fish, and it is much simpler than you might think. More and more people are using this thrilling technique to catch trout, bluegill, sailfish, and more. You can count yourself among them. It just takes the right equipment, a little bit of know-how, and some practice. If you've never tried because you heard it's "too hard," then you are missing out! In Thrasher's Fly Fishing Guide, professional fly fisher Susan Thrasher provides an all-in-one resource to get you on the water and fly fishing with success. Inside You'll Find: Introduction to the basics, including terminology and equipment Discussion of various methods, from dry fly fishing to Euro nymphing Personal stories and anecdotes to entertain and encourage Advanced tips, such as fly fishing from a kayak and understanding various fly line designs Recommendations on lodging, guides, and nearby activities for destination trips Whether you've never hooked a fish or have spent your whole life casting a fly to that elusive brown trout, you'll enjoy Thrasher's engaging writing style, and you'll appreciate her step-by-step approach that can take you from "never tried" to "let's go again tomorrow!"

Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, Finalist for the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction, and the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, Shortlisted for the Stella Prize, Highly Commended in the Wainwright Prize for writing on global conservation, and a Sunday Independent Book of the Year. How do whales experience environmental change? Has our connection to these animals been transformed by technology? What future awaits us, and them? Fathoms blends natural history, philosophy, and science to explore these questions. Giggs introduces us to whales so rare they have never been named and tells us of whale 'pop' songs that sweep across hemispheres. She takes us into the deeps to discover that one whale's death can spark a great flourishing of creatures. We travel to Japan to board whaling ships, examine the uncanny charisma of these magnificent mammals, and confront the plastic pollution now pervading their underwater environment.

A riveting new exploration of the octopus from a world-leading expert, marine biologist David Scheel.

The octopus is a highly intelligent and deeply mysterious creature. It can change colour as quickly as it can move, 'think' with its tentacles and communicate in sophisticated ways.

Marine biologist David Scheel's lifelong preoccupation with these animals has led to a career of groundbreaking research, from finding previously unknown species to the discovery of signaling communication. In Many Things Under a Rock, Scheel shares his deep scientific understanding of octopuses and recounts his intrepid adventures with these mysterious, charismatic creatures.

He investigates four major mysteries about octopuses: what can we know about such elusive and camouflaged creatures? Why are they so extraordinarily resilient? How do their bodies work? And what kind of relationships do they have? In unravelling these mysteries, Dr Scheel shows octopuses to be complex emotional beings and reveals what they can teach us about ourselves.

Wyl Menmuir’s The Draw of the Sea is a beautifully written and deeply moving portrait of the sea and the people whose livelihoods revolve around it, examining the ephemeral but universal pull the sea holds over the human imagination. Since the earliest stages of human development, the sea has fascinated and entranced us. It feeds us, sustaining communities and providing livelihood, but it also holds immense destructive power that threatens to destroy all we have created.   It connects us to faraway places, offering the promise of new lands and voyages of discovery, but also shapes our borders, carving divisions between landmasses and eroding the very ground beneath our feet. In this lyrical meditation on what it is that draws us to the waters' edge, author Wyl Menmuir tells the stories of the people whose lives revolve around the coastline and all it has to offer. In twelve interlinked chapters, Menmuir explores the lives of local fishermen steeped in the rich traditions of a fishing community, the beachcombers who wander the shores in search of the varied objects that wash ashore and the stories they tell, and all number of others who have made their lives around the sea. In the specifics of these livelihoods and their rich histories and traditions, Wyl Menmuir captures the universal human connection to the ocean’s edge. Into this seductive tapestry Wyl weaves the story of how the sea has beckoned, consoled and restored him. The Draw of the Sea is a meaningful and moving work into how we interact with the environment around us and how it comes to shape the course of our lives. As unmissable as it is compelling, as profound as it is personal, this must-read book will delight anyone familiar with the intimate and powerful pull which the sea holds over us.

The popular image of sharks is of a dorsal fin cleaving the surface as it rushes to its next kill, but this is a limited caricature. There are over 500 species to choose from, most of whom are far more frightened of humans than vice versa. In this beautiful book, diving veteran John Bantin recounts many tales of his diving with several species of sharks and other marine animals over the last 4 decades. Accompanied by his own stunning photography, the captivating, spectacular and sometimes shocking encounters show the reader what it is like to get up close and personal to these bizarre and beautiful creatures. The sharks covered range from the great whale sharks to the small blacktip reef shark, in locations extending to all corners of the globe.

A new addition to this successful series and a companion volume to My First Book of Southern African Seashore Life, this book focuses on creatures that are found within the sea environment, away from the shore: fi shes; squid; sharks; rays; whales and dolphins; turtles; seabirds, and other creatures found off-shore. It follows the series model, with an illustrated introduction giving context to the subject, and then each page featuring:

•  a vivid, full-colour illustration
•  simple, informative text in English, Afrikaans, Xhosa and Zulu
•  visual clues about the creatures’ diet, size, habits and distribution round our coast

Go Fishing with Minnesota's Famous Identification Guide! Fishing is a perfect outdoors activity for all ages and skill levels, and the Land of 10,000 Lakes is an angler's paradise. Reel in fish, and make identifying your catches a snap. Now in its second edition, the Fish of Minnesota Field Guide by Dave Bosanko features detailed information about 81 species of Minnesota fish. When you're not sure what you caught, grab the handy guide and narrow your choices by family. Then identify your prize with the intricately detailed fish illustrations. Further verify the type of fish using the "Similar Species" comparisons. Book Features: Detailed information about 81 species Professional-quality illustrations-perfect for fish identification Fascinating facts on spawning behavior, feeding habits, and more Fishing tips and inside information for easily locating fishing hotspots Bonus resources such as state fishing records and answers to frequently asked questions This new edition includes updated information about everything from range to state records, as well as the inclusion of six new species. A new section on fishing tips offers pointers to help you catch more fish, and more information on invasive species can help prevent their spread. The Fish of Minnesota Field Guide is essential for every tackle box, beach bag, RV, and cabin. Plus, its convenient size makes it perfect for the dock or boat.

This is an invitation to readers to ponder universal questions about human relations with rivers and water for the precarious times of the Anthropocene. The book asks how humans can learn through sensory embodied encounters with local waterways that shape the architecture of cities and make global connections with environments everywhere. The book considers human becomings with urban waterways to address some of the major conceptual challenges of the Anthropocene, through stories of trauma and healing, environmental activism, and encounters with the living beings that inhabit waterways. Its unique contribution is to bring together Australian Aboriginal knowledges with contemporary western, new materialist, posthuman and Deleuzean philosophies, foregrounding how visual, creative and artistic forms can assist us in thinking beyond the constraints of western thought to enable other modes of being and knowing the world for an unpredictable future. Riverlands of the Anthropocene will be of particular interest to those studying the Anthropocene through the lenses of environmental humanities, environmental education, philosophy, ecofeminism and cultural studies.

AMAZING ILLUSTRATIONS: Explore Caroline Selme's intricately drawn underwater world, bursting with minute detail! ADDICTIVE GAMEPLAY: A matching game for the whole family with super-detailed underwater scenes that reward returning again and again. HOURS OF COZY FUN: Take a deep dive and learn to recognize fish from around the world - all from the comfort of home! PERFECT GIFT: Illustration-led, highly finished, 57-card unique matching game, for maximum gifting appeal. COLLECT THE SERIES: From the illustrator of Laurence King's Dinosaur Bingo, Jungle Bingo, I Saw It First! and Who's Hiding in the Jungle? Pick a card, any card! Now pick another. Between any animal and ocean card there will only ever be one animal that features on both. Can you be the first to find it? Featuring Caroline Selmes's delightful animal illustrations and undersea scenes, Who's Hiding in the Ocean? will have the whole family vying for victory!

The marine environment is a remarkable place - unfamiliar and a source of endless fascination. The rocky shore where land meets sea, its array of life ever-changing with the tides, offers us a chance to explore this mysterious world. This book reveals the astonishing diversity of wildlife on rocky shores and in the rockpools around the coast and gives readers a greater understanding of the myriad of creatures that can be found using a bit of simple detective work. Rockpooling is an activity enjoyed by children and adults alike. This guide will make your exploration even more rewarding, whether you are an individual or family visiting the seaside or a naturalist wishing to expand your knowledge of a unique habitat. - Detailed descriptions of around 400 common and rare rocky shore species. - Clear colour photographs of all the species described. - Tips and techniques describing how to find the more cryptic animals. - Ideas for rockpool-related family activities. - Information on threats to the intertidal environment. - Measures we can all take to safeguard the future of our rocky shore wildlife.

About seventy-one per cent of the Earth's surface is water, and even on dry land we remain closely connected to aquatic life. It provides us with oxygen, food, medicine and materials. Wild waterlife infiltrates our lives in many surprising ways. Every other breath we take is filled with oxygen provided by ocean-dwelling microscopic plants. A type of seaweed provides a means to directly test whether people are infected with viruses, including Covid-19. Robotics design takes inspiration from a pike's ability to accelerate with greater g-force than a Porsche. Wild Waters by Susanne Masters is a celebration of the breadth of wildlife that can be found in and around our varied waterways, from oceans and rivers to rock pools and ponds. Armchair explorers can read a fascinating account of how aquatic plants and animals enrich human life. Swimmers, paddleboarders, dog walkers, families and anyone with a passion for the great outdoors can learn about local wildlife, including when and where to look for different species without causing any harm. With stunning illustrations by Alice Goodridge, Wild Waters provides a tantalising insight into the world beneath the surface.

Told through a series of walks beside the sea, this is a story of the most beautiful 742 miles of coastline in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: their rocks, plants and animals, their views, walks and history, and the people who have made their lives within sight of the waves. As he travels along coastal paths, visits beaches and explores coves, Barkham reflects on the long campaign to protect our shoreline from tidal erosion and human damage and weaves together fascinating tales about every aspect of the coast - from ancient conquests and smuggler's routes, to exotic migratory birds and bucket-and-spade holidays - to tell a more profound story about our island nation and the way we are shaped by our shores.

The most comprehensive reference guide to the world's sharks-now fully revised and updated Sharks of the World is the essential illustrated guide for anyone interested in these magnificent creatures. Now fully revised and updated, it covers 536 of the world's shark species and is packed with colour illustrations, colour photos and informative diagrams. This comprehensive, easy-to-use reference guide incorporates the latest taxonomic revisions of many shark families, featuring many species that were only described in recent years. It also includes a completely revised and expanded introduction and updated line drawings throughout. Covers 536 shark species from around the world Features updated species accounts, illustrations and maps Gives an illustrated overview of shark biology, ecology and conservation Includes fin identification guides Provides a colour distribution map for every species