|
Books > Sport & Leisure > Natural history, country life & pets > Wild animals > Aquatic creatures
The definitive resource on tunas and billfishes from the world's
top authorities. Tunas and billfishes are peak predators of the
oceans. Admired by scientists and naturalists for their speed,
grace, unique physiology, and diversity, they are important both
ecologically and socioeconomically. Vital sources of food and
income for many maritime nations, whose fleets of vessels target
them with huge purse seines or miles-long lines, these exhilarating
fishes are also highly desired and avidly sought by big game
fishers across the globe. In Tunas and Billfishes of the World,
Bruce Collette, a leading marine ichthyologist and conservationist,
and John Graves, an expert on the biology, fisheries, and
management of tunas and billfishes, focus on three families of
fishes: Scombridae, the mackerels and tunas; Istiophoridae,
sailfish and marlins; and Xiphiidae, the Swordfish. Over the course
of 61 in-depth species accounts, Collette and Graves * describe
what each species looks like and where it lives * include detailed
summaries of the fishes' biology-size, food, habitat, reproduction,
and early life history * offer current information about fisheries
interests and conservation status * provide up-to-date evaluations
of the threat status for each species Accompanied by full-color,
scientifically accurate illustrations by renowned illustrator Val
Kells, along with range maps for each species, this spectacular
volume is the essential book on these majestic inhabitants of the
sea. Destined to quickly become the standard reference for
scientists, students, and naturalists, Tunas and Billfishes of the
World will also be prized by all fishers who pursue these species.
Seashells have been the most coveted and collected of nature's
creations for thousands of years. They were money before coins,
jewellery before gems, art before canvas. In The Sound of the Sea,
Cynthia Barnett blends cultural history and environmental science
to trace our long love affair with seashells and the hidden lives
of the mollusks that make them. From the mysterious glow of giant
clams to the surprising origin of Shell Oil as a family business
importing exotic shells, the book is filled with unforgettable
stories. As it explores the perfect symmetry of a Chambered
Nautilus, the pink-glossed lip of a Queen Conch or what we hear
when we hold a shell to the ear, it makes a powerful argument for
listening to shells-and acting on what they are telling us about
the impacts of climate change on the seas, marine life and
humanity.
'A remarkable and deeply moving book' Henry Marsh, bestselling
author of Do No Harm 'A breathtaking, extraordinary work of
non-fiction' Times Literary Supplement On 11 March 2011, a massive
earthquake sent a 120-foot-high tsunami smashing into the coast of
north-east Japan. It was Japan's greatest single loss of life since
the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Richard Lloyd Parry, an
award-winning foreign correspondent, lived through the earthquake
in Tokyo, and spent six years reporting from the epicentre.
Learning about the lives of those affected through their own
personal accounts, he paints a rich picture of the impact the
tsunami had on day to day Japanese life. Heart-breaking and
hopeful, this intimate account of a tragedy unveils the unique
nuances of Japanese culture, the tsunami's impact on Japan's
stunning and majestic landscape and the psychology of its people.
Ghosts of the Tsunami is an award-winning classic of literary
non-fiction. It tells the moving, evocative story of how a nation
faced an unimaginable catastrophe and rebuilt to look towards the
future. **WINNER OF THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE**
It's different when it's your daughter. DI Gravel's daughter Emily
has landed her dream job working for high profile solicitor Charles
Turner. But the job turns deadly when she attracts the attention of
a serial killer. Gravel is already on the case, the bodies are
piling up and the killer's sick fantasies are enough to give the
detective nightmares. However, the killer's obsession with Emily
raises the stakes. Can Gravel and Emily survive the case? This is
the third book in the dark, edge-of-your-seat Carmarthen Crime
thriller series set in the stunning West Wales countryside.
*Previously published as A Cold Cold Heart*
It's different when it's your daughter. DI Gravel's daughter Emily
has landed her dream job working for high profile solicitor Charles
Turner. But the job turns deadly when she attracts the attention of
a serial killer. Gravel is already on the case, the bodies are
piling up and the killer's sick fantasies are enough to give the
detective nightmares. However, the killer's obsession with Emily
raises the stakes. Can Gravel and Emily survive the case? This is
the third book in the dark, edge-of-your-seat Carmarthen Crime
thriller series set in the stunning West Wales countryside.
*Previously published as A Cold Cold Heart*
Forty five postcards (3 x 15) illustrated with magical and powerful
images from David Doubilet's book Water Light Time
Widely acclaimed as the world's leading underwater photographer,
David Doubilet's award-winning book Water Light Time showcases over
twenty-five years' of his work under the oceans and seas of all
parts of the globe. Sharks and shipwrecks, rare and unusual
species, exotic vegetation, startling and vivid colours, Doubilet's
pictures inspire awe at both the wonder of the undersea world and
the extraordinary skill of the photographer. This is a selection of
fifteen (three copies of each) of the most beautiful images from
this magical, brightly coloured and sometimes dangerous submarine
world.
Beaches, marshes, mangroves; cliffs, deserts, forests; bays,
deltas, estuaries - coastlines take many different forms and are
put to very different uses. From deserted beaches to busy ports,
from pretty fishing villages to a surfers' paradise, a salt marsh
to a ship-breakers' yard, Coasts celebrates where the land meets
the sea. From beautiful coastal paths to the shipwrecks left high
and dry in the Aral Sea, from world famous locations such as
Copacabana Beach in Brazil and Big Sur in California to the little
explored coastlines of Yemen and Oman, from Algeria to Antarctica,
the Amalfi Coast to the Dead Sea, the book celebrates a huge range
in coastlines from all around the world. Including nature reserves
and tourist resorts, rugged landscapes and desert island
tranquility, fjords and fossils, eroding cliffs to whole towns lost
to the waters, the book explores coastlines in all climates and
conditions around the globe. Presented in a landscape format and
with captions explaining the story behind each entry, Coasts is a
stunning collection of images and stories.
'Bobby's oyster travelogue is an ambitious, one-of-a-kind piece
that shines a spotlight on the extraordinary and the everyday of
the industry. It's the stuff that oyster bucket lists are made of'
Julie Qiu, In A Half Shell blog 'A masterpiece' Sandy Ingber,
Executive Chef of the Grand Central Oyster Bar, New York 'An
amazing tome . . . The stories behind each oyster and location are
informative, in depth, but, most importantly, fun' Michel Roux Jr
The oyster. Ostrea edulis. 'Edible bones'. The Great British oyster
is deeply embedded in our geographical, historical and
socio-cultural landscape. Five-thousand-year-old oyster shells have
been discovered in the northern reaches of Scotland, and oyster
shells are littered along the extinct riverbeds deep beneath the
London of today. A highly prized delicacy of the Romans, the oyster
has always been a class leveller: an everyman food of the poor
during the Victorian age to a food of decadence during the
twentieth century. It is a superfood; a biological water meter; an
ecological superpower. The oyster card, 'the world is your oyster'
- it has even crept into our language. Bobby Groves, Head of
Oysters at the Chiltern Firehouse, takes us on a wonderful journey
of the British oyster, a five-thousand-mile motorcycle odyssey of
Britain's spectacular coastlines. He vividly brings to life this
strange and marvellous creature, shining a light on its rich and
vibrant history, its cultural impact and ecological importance as
well as those oyster folk who work so hard to protect them. Part
travelogue, part social history, Oyster Isles is a celebration of
the much-loved yet much-misunderstood British oyster.
In The Accidental Reef and Other Ecological Odysseys in the Great
Lakes, Lynne Heasley illuminates an underwater world that, despite
a ferocious industrial history, remains wondrous and worthy of
care. From its first scene in a benighted Great Lakes river, where
lake sturgeon thrash and spawn, this powerful book takes readers on
journeys through the Great Lakes, alongside fish and fishers, scuba
divers and scientists, toxic pollutants and threatened communities,
oil pipelines and invasive species, Indigenous peoples and federal
agencies. With dazzling illustrations from Glenn Wolff, the book
helps us know the Great Lakes in new ways and grapple with the
legacies and alternative futures that come from their abundance of
natural wealth. Suffused with curiosity, empathy, and wit, The
Accidental Reef will not fail to astonish and inspire.
Welcome back to Heritage Cove, the little village by the sea
brimming with character, community and friendship. The perfect
place to fall in love... Running Heritage View Stables is
everything Hazel ever dreamed of. She loves working with the horses
and managing the business with her brother. But after a terrible
incident, she's not sure whether she'll ever be able to put things
back the way they were. Gus is ready to start over. He's moved him
and his ten-year-old daughter Abigail to Heritage Cove, where he's
opening his own vet practice. Everything is falling into place,
especially as he watches Abigail start to come out of her shell for
the first time since the accident. Neither Hazel nor Gus is looking
for love, but could they each be what the other needs? And is
happiness even a possibility when their pasts won't let them go?
Join new friends and old, as summer comes to Heritage Cove. Praise
for Helen Rolfe's heartwarming stories: 'I really loved this book.
I fully intended to save it for the long bank holiday weekend, to
be enjoyed leisurely over a few days, but I ended up devouring it
all in just two sittings...' Jo Bartlett 'One to curl up with after
a long hard day, and know you are just going to be treated to a
cosy atmosphere, realistic characters that you will come to care
for' Rachel's Random Reads 'Such a perfect gift of a book!' Reader
Review 'Helen Rolfe is an absolute specialist at building cosy
communities and making me want to live there. I want the characters
as my friends!' Sue Moorcroft 'Heritage Cove has this wonderful
community spirit that I so want to be part of...the balance between
the emotional moments, tough relatable topics against the
light-hearted fun was done ever so well' Love Books Actually 'What
a beautiful story filled with happiness, comedy and lovely
characters' Reader Review 'I was gripped by the story from start to
finish and the end of the book left me feeling all warm and fuzzy
inside' Ginger Book Geek
In Remarkable Shrimps, Raymond T. Bauer explores the evolution,
natural history, biological diversity, and commercial importance of
caridean shrimps--a fascinating and colorful group of aquatic
organisms that inhabit freshwater and marine environments from the
tropics to the poles.The biological diversity of carideans
encompasses a remarkable array of adaptations in body form and
function, coloration, breeding biology, and mating behavior.
Carideans' important grooming and antifouling adaptations are
examined in detail, and Bauer discusses the structural basis of
their coloration, the role of color change in concealment, and
other forms of camouflage. Reproductive biology and sexual systems,
including hermaphroditism and sex change, are reviewed, and Bauer
provides evidence for sex pheromones in the attraction of males to
females. Seasonal, latitudinal, and depth variation in life history
patterns are also analyzed. The symbiotic relationships of shrimps
with invertebrates such as corals, sea anemones, and sea urchins
and also with fishes are fascinating phenomena of marine
ecosystems. Different views on the ancestry and evolutionary
history of carideans are evaluated as a stimulus for further work.
The status of caridean fisheries and aquaculture is appraised, and
shrimp productivity is explained in terms of life history
adaptations. Profiling each of the nearly thirty families of
caridean shrimps, Bauer writes in an informal style that is
nevertheless rich with precise and useful references. Over one
hundred figures and 11 plates with 70 color and half-tone
photographs accompany the text. Extensive fieldwork is showcased in
life history studies on shrimps, employing both behavioral
observations using time-lapse video and experimental work to test
hypotheses on mating strategies.
Manta and devil rays are some of the most intriguing creatures in
the ocean. Driven forward by powerful beats of wing-like pectoral
fins, these filter feeders search the waters for prey, their
horn-like head fins giving rise to ancient mariners' tales of
fearsome devilfish dragging boats into the ocean depths. Beloved by
scuba divers and marine biologists alike, these impressive animals
have never had a comprehensive field guide dedicated to them-until
now. Guide to the Manta and Devil Rays of the World includes
detailed information on the identification, characteristics,
threats, and distribution for each species in this family.
Illustrated with more than 200 color photos, drawings, and plates,
this guide also contains an expansive introduction to the general
taxonomy, biology, and behavior of these iconic animals. This book
will be an essential resource for fisheries management and
international trade enforcement, and for anyone involved in ongoing
manta and devil ray research and conservation. The first dedicated
field guide for manta and devil rays Exhaustive treatment of every
aspect related to their identification and biology Filled with 200+
color drawings, photos, and diagrams
The billfish is fixed at the apex of the oceanic food chain.
Composed of sailfish, marlin, spearfish, and swordfish, they roam
the pelagic waters of the Atlantic and are easily recognized by
their long, spear-like beaks. Noted for their speed, size, and
acrobatic jumps, billfish have for centuries inspired a broad
spectrum of society. Even in antiquity, Aristotle, who assiduously
studied the swordfish, named this gladiator of the sea xiphias -
the sword. The Billfish Story tells the saga of this unique group
of fish and those who have formed bonds with them - relationships
forged by anglers, biologists, charter-boat captains, and
conservationists through their pursuit, study, and protection of
these species. More than simply reciting important discoveries,
Stan Ulanski argues passionately that billfish occupy a position of
unique importance in our culture as a nexus linking natural and
human history. Ulanski, both a scientist and an angler, brings a
rich background to the subject in a multifaceted approach that will
enrich not only readers appreciation of billfish but the whole of
the natural world.
Investigate shipwrecks where scorpionfish hide, dive down to the
Mariana trench to meet a dumbo octopus, marvel at ocean giants and
dart in between manatees in mangrove forests to find out why oceans
are magnificently mega! Did you know lobsters keep their teeth in
their tummies? Or that you can find rivers and lakes beneath the
ocean? And did you know that sea stars have no brain or blood?
Explore the wonders of our underwater worlds on every page, from
coral reefs, sharks and the deep to shipwrecks, weird fish and
frozen seas, there's so much to discover! With fun and colourful
illustrations and bursting with facts, Do You Love Oceans? is
perfect for readers who want to explore Earth's spectacular seas,
discover the wildlife that lives there and find out why our oceans
need protecting. Matt Robertson is the award-winning illustrator of
Do You Love Bugs?, Do You Love Dinosaurs? and Do You Love
Exploring?
Seashores - An Ecological Guide provides an easy-to-use,
authoritative reference to commonly occurring organisms. By looking
at the habitats of the coastline, it focuses on key species you are
likely to find. The book explains how these organisms have adapted
and how they are able to cope with the environmental stresses of
the seashore. With over 400 colour photographs, the guide looks
first at the physical and biological features that determine our
coast before surveying the variety of communities that exist on our
shores. These include: rocky shores; sand and mud; estuaries;
salt-marsh; sand dunes; shingle and plankton.
Welcome to the Sunshine Island - where the beaches are golden, the
lifestyle is perfect and anything is possible. Piper Le Brocq is
happily single after the disastrous ending of her engagement
eighteen months before. The only man in her life is Jax, her best
friend and cousin, who spends his life teaching locals how to
forage and taking tourists on boat trips around the island. Her
days are filled with helping out at her mother's guest house and
selling her glass mosaics at The Cabbage Patch emporium in Trinity.
Piper loves living on the Sunshine Island, where the neighbours
look out for each other and visitors are welcome. So, when handsome
guest Alex Cooper arrives at the guest house to check up on his
grandfather, she welcomes him to the sunny island. And when he
needs help after his grandfather is injured, she's quick to get
involved. Yet, the more she gets to know Alex the more mysterious
he seems, and Alex isn't the only one keeping secrets from her.
What readers are saying about Georgina Troy: 'A gorgeous beachside
setting, divine ice-cream sundaes, and a scorching summer love
story - this book has it all!' Christina Jones 'I thoroughly
enjoyed spending time in this charming, evocative story. It's a
perfect book to enjoy by the pool, in the sunshine, with a glass of
Prosecco!' Kirsty Greenwood 'A wonderfully warm and sweet summer
read' Karen Clarke
|
|