Whales, dolphins and porpoises are among the world's most mysterious and beautiful animals, and there are many opportunities to see them in the seas around Europe. This comprehensive and authoritative guide covers everything you need to know about where, when and how to watch them. Packed with useful information and top tips to help you get the most out of your trip, it includes a thorough account of whale-watching opportunities in every European country where organised whale-watching takes place, as well as detailed accounts of every cetacean species found in Europe and a fascinating introduction to their world. Whether you want to watch Blue Whales in Iceland, Bottlenose Dolphins in Wales, Narwhal in Greenland or Sperm Whales in Greece, this comprehensive guide is the ideal companion.

From spring-fed headwaters to quiet, marshy creeks and from tannin-stained northern reaches to broad southern tributaries winding through farmland, Wisconsin is home to 84,000 miles of streams. This guide is the ultimate companion for learning about Wisconsin stream life. Developed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources scientists, with information provided by dozens of biologists and ecologists, Field Guide to Wisconsin Streams is accessible to anglers, teachers and students, amateur naturalists, and experienced scientists alike. More than 1,000 images illustrate the species in this field guide, augmented by detailed descriptions that include look-alikes, ecological and taxonomic notes, and distribution maps. It identifies: more than 130 common plants; all 120 fishes known to inhabit Wisconsin streams; 8 crayfishes; 50 mussels; 10 amphibians; 17 reptiles; 70 families of insects; other commonly found invertebrates.

The second edition of Fishes of Arkansas, in development for more than a decade, is an extensive revision and expansion of the first edition, including reclassifications, taxonomic changes, and descriptions of more than thirty new species. An invaluable reference for anyone interested in the state's fish population-from professional ichthyologists, fisheries biologists, and managers of aquatic resources, to amateur naturalists and anglers-this new edition provides updated taxonomic keys as well as detailed descriptions, photographs, and line drawings to aid identification of the state's 241 fish species. There is also much information on the distribution and biology of each species, including descriptions of habitat, foods eaten, reproductive biology, and conservation status. This project and the preparation of this publication was funded in part by a grant from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

Formed by the confluence of the Ocmulgee and Oconee Rivers, the Altamaha is the largest free-flowing river on the East Coast and drains its third-largest watershed. It has been designated as one of the Nature Conservancy's seventy-five Last Great Places because of its unique character and rich natural diversity. In evocative photography and elegant prose, "Altamaha" captures the distinctive beauty of this river and offers a portrait of the man who has become its improbable guardian.
Few people know the Altamaha better than James Holland. Raised in Cochran, Georgia, Holland spent years on the river fishing, hunting, and working its coastal reaches as a commercial crabber. Witnessing a steady decline in blue crab stocks, Holland doggedly began to educate himself on the area's environmental and political issues, reaching a deep conviction that the only way to preserve the way of life he loved was to protect the river and its watershed. In 1999, he began serving as the first Altamaha Riverkeeper, finding new purpose in protecting the river and raising awareness about its plight with people in his community and beyond.
At first Holland used photography to document pollution and abuse, but as he came to appreciate and understand the Altamaha in new ways, his photographs evolved, focusing more on the natural beauty he fought to save. More than 230 color photographs capture the area's majestic landscapes and stunning natural diversity, including a generous selection of some the 234 species of rare plants and animals in the region. In their essays, Janisse Ray offers a profile of Holland's transformation from orphan and troubled high school dropout to river advocate, and Dorinda G. Dallmeyer celebrates the biological richness and cultural heritage that the Altamaha offers to all Georgians.

Frogs are skilled jumpers and tree frogs are no exception. They use their long legs to propel them to safety if a hungry predator comes too close. However, tree frogs have another unique adaptation: they use their sticky toes to climb and cling to leaves and branches in the trees. Students cant help but be fascinated by these amazing creatures, and the simple text and awesome photographs in this helpful resource will satisfy all their questions about this hopping amphibian.

Perched on the banks of Stony Brook in the Cape Cod town of Brewster, Hay observes the stunning phenomenon of the annual run of the alewife, a herring that spawns in fresh water, enters the ocean as a fingerling, and returns to its natal pond. From the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Carolinas, hordes of alewives make the dramatic journey every Spring. For Hay, the run is filled with danger and beauty: In terrible simplicity, the alewives were swimming toward the island gauntlet they would have to run, having a title, by their common, wild, and ancient advent, to all great kindled things.

Chasing the lightning-fast bonefish across the South Pacific, Florida and the Caribbean is for many anglers a near obsession, and this is the handbook to such a fly-fishing adventure. Author Dick Brown, a widely experienced bonefisher and fly tyer who writes for several angling journals, offers keen advice for successful bonefishing, utilising both his own insights and those of other experts, including Lefty Kreh, Ben Estes, and Stu Apte. Brown and his cohorts help the reader spot, stalk, cast to and strike this most wily, challenging quarry. He also analyses the use of numerous flies, telling which patterns work best and when, and details superb bonefishing destinations with fully up-to-date information.

The Nile, one of the world's great rivers, has long been an object of fascination and obsession. From Alexander the Great and Nero, to Victorian adventurers David Livingstone, John Hanning Speke, and Henry Morton Stanley, the river has enticed many into wild adventures. English writer, photographer, and explorer Levison Wood continues that tradition, and Walking the Nile is the captivating account of his remarkable and unparalleled Nile journey. Starting in November 2013 in a forest in Rwanda, where a modest spring spouts a trickle of clear, cold water, Wood set forth on foot, aiming to become the first person to walk the entire length of the fabled river. He followed the Nile for nine months, over 4,000 miles, through six nations--Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, the Republic of Sudan, and Egypt--to the Mediterranean coast. Like his predecessors, Wood camped in the wild, foraged for food, and trudged through rainforest, swamp, savannah, and desert, enduring life-threatening conditions at every turn. He traversed sandstorms, flash floods, minefields, and more, becoming a local celebrity in Uganda, where a popular rap song was written about him, and a potential enemy of the state in South Sudan, where he found himself caught in a civil war and detained by the secret police. As well as recounting his triumphs, like escaping a charging hippo and staving off wild crocodiles, Wood's gripping account recalls the loss of Matthew Power, a journalist who died suddenly from heat exhaustion during their trek. As Wood walks on, often joined by local guides who help him to navigate foreign languages and customs, Walking the Nile maps out African history and contemporary life. An inimitable tale of survival, resilience, and sheer willpower, Walking the Nile is an inspiring chronicle of an epic journey down this lifeline of civilization.

Take a walk on the beach with three coastal experts who reveal the secrets and the science of the North Carolina shoreline. What makes sea foam? What are those tiny sand volcanoes along the waterline? You'll find the answers to these questions and dozens more in this comprehensive field guide to the state's beaches, which shows visitors how to decipher the mysteries of the beach and interpret clues to an ever-changing geological story.

Orrin Pilkey, Tracy Monegan Rice, and William Neal explore large-scale processes, such as the composition and interaction of wind, waves, and sand, as well as smaller features, such as bubble holes, drift lines, and black sands. In addition, coastal life forms large and small--from crabs and turtles to microscopic animals--are all discussed here. The concluding chapter contemplates the future of North Carolina beaches, considering the threats to their survival and assessing strategies for conservation. This indispensable beach book offers vacationers and naturalists a single source for learning to appreciate and preserve the natural features of a genuine state treasure.

Stretching along 156 miles of Florida's East Coast, the Indian River Lagoon contains the St. Lucie estuary, the Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River Lagoon, and the Indian River. It is a delicate ecosystem of shifting barrier islands and varying salinity levels due to its many inlets that open and close onto the ocean. The long, ribbon-like lagoon spans both temperate and subtropical climates, resulting in the most biologically diverse estuarine system in the United States. Nineteen canals and five man-made inlets have dramatically reshaped the region in the past two centuries, intensifying its natural instability and challenging its diversity. Indian River Lagoon traces the winding story of the waterway, showing how humans have altered the area to fit their needs and also how the lagoon has influenced the cultures along its shores. Now stuck in transition between a place of labor and a place of recreation, the lagoon has become a chief focus of public concern. This book provides a much-needed bigger picture as debates continue over how best to restore this natural resource.

How often have you visited the seashore and wished you knew more about the diverse and alien wildlife found on the UK's coastline? There are incredible stories to discover about our coastal species so if the tantalising glimpses you've caught of this semi-aquatic environment between the tides has left you curious to learn more, the RSPB Handbook of the Seashore is for you. It will help you to easily identify and learn about the life cycles and anatomy of the species you discover, and features useful sections on the tidal cycle, how to read tide tables, where to look, conservation and climate change concerns, and who to call should you come across something unexpected on your next beach visit. Featuring over 200 species accounts - each with a photo, full description, and details of distribution and zonation - this brand new guide is written throughout in engaging text suitable for families, students and anyone who loves to visit the seashore.

Since its establishment as a federally protected wilderness in 1964, the Boundary Waters has become one of our nation's most valuable-and most frequently visited-natural treasures. When Amy and Dave Freeman learned of toxic mining proposed within the area's watershed, they decided to take action-by spending a year in the wilderness, and sharing their experience through video, photos, and blogs with an audience of hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens. This book tells the deeper story of their adventure in northern Minnesota: of loons whistling under a moonrise, of ice booming as it forms and cracks, of a moose and her calf swimming across a misty lake. With the magic-and urgent-message that has rallied an international audience to the campaign to save the Boundary Waters, A Year in the Wilderness is a rousing cry of witness activism, and a stunning tribute to this singularly beautiful region.

The waters around Australia, the world s smallest continent, are home to the greatest diversity of sharks and rays on Earth. Fully 100 of these sea creatures (along with their little-known relatives, the chimaerids) have been named or described since the first edition of this book the biggest revision of the Class Chondrichthyes since the time of Linneaus. This second edition of "Sharks and Rays of Australia" brings more than 300 of these species to life in newly commissioned, full-color illustrations.

Here, in precisely painted detail, are the weird silvery ghost shark and the remarkably camouflaged ornate wobbegong; spurdogs and swell sharks; the primitive frilled shark and the blacktip, a fast swimmer capable of leaping out of the water like a dolphin. Peter Last and John Stevens review the major shake-ups in the elasmobranch family tree sorting out, for instance, dogfishes and skates and include updated family keys, the latest information about species ranges, and new distribution maps. Extensively revised species descriptions reflect additional fisheries and newly gleaned life history and biological information all essential to conservation efforts as sharks die in commercial bycatches and end up on restaurant menus. An essential tool for conservation biologists trying to save threatened sharks, now under siege worldwide, this marvelous volume will also appeal to fish biologists, divers, naturalists, commercial and recreational fishermen, and anyone with an appreciation for these ancient evolutionary survivors.

'I envy no body but him, and him only, that catches more fish than I do.' A unique celebration of the English countryside and the most famous book on angling ever published, Walton's Compleat Angler first appeared in 1653. In 1676, at Walton's invitation, his friend Charles Cotton contributed his pioneering exploration of fly-fishing. The book is both a manual of instruction and a vision of society in harmony with nature. It guides the novice fisherman on how to catch and cook a variety of fish, on how to select and prepare the best bait and make artificial flies, and on the habits of freshwater fish. It also promotes angling as a communal activity in which the bonds of friendship are forged through shared experience of the natural world. Anecdotes, poetry, music, and song intersperse the rural descriptions, which promote conservation as well as sport. This new edition highlights the book's continuing relevance to our relationship with the environment, and explores the turbulent history from which it came. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

The tides of the North Atlantic are the world's highest, and they reveal a world of amazing seashore life--from jellies and sea anemones, to clams and crabs, to seaweeds and lichens. With some 300 crisp, vibrant color photographs and brief, precise descriptions, this field guide makes it easier than ever to identify Atlantic seashore life from Canada to Cape Cod. Duane Sept covers more than 225 common intertidal species found on rocky shores, sandy shores, mud beaches, and floating docks, and explains the natural history of these specialized organisms. He also describes tidal habitats, tells how to explore the seashore in a safe and environmentally responsible way, and provides extensive information on some of the best places in the North Atlantic to view seashore life. Both casual and dedicated beachcombers will find this a handy, enjoyable, and reliable guide. * The first full-color photographic guide to North Atlantic seashore life * Includes some 300 color photographs and illustrations * Makes species identification quick and easy * Covers more than 225 common intertidal species found from Canada to Cape Cod * Covers rocky shores, sandy shores, mud beaches, and floating docks * Tells how to explore safely and in an environmentally responsible way * Provides extensive information on some of the best places to visit in the Atlantic Northeast

A three-thousand-year history of China's Yellow River and the legacy of interactions between humans and the natural landscape "No other scholar has produced such a systematic, comprehensive account of the long-term changes in the river's function and structure. I consider it to be the definitive work on the topic of the Yellow River to date."-Peter C. Perdue, author of China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia From Neolithic times to the present day, the Yellow River and its watershed have both shaped and been shaped by human society. Using the Yellow River to illustrate the long-term effects of environmentally significant human activity, Ruth Mostern unravels the long history of the human relationship with water and soil and the consequences, at times disastrous, of ecological transformations that resulted from human decisions. As Mostern follows the Yellow River through three millennia of history, she underlines how governments consistently ignored the dynamic interrelationships of the river's varied ecosystems-grasslands, riparian forests, wetlands, and deserts-and the ecological and cultural impacts of their policies. With an interdisciplinary approach informed by archival research and GIS (geographical information system) records, this groundbreaking volume provides unique insight into patterns, transformations, and devastating ruptures throughout ecological history and offers profound conclusions about the way we continue to affect the natural systems upon which we depend.

Situated at the tip of the continent, southern Africa has a coastline that has excited marine biologists and oceanographers for generations. Much research has been undertaken and many South African marine scientists have won international acclaim. The aim of this book is to communicate to a wide audience the excitement of marine biology and the stimulation of recent discoveries. Key features of this book include a glossary of terms, a bibliography of key references, appendices on the classification of animals and plants together with current regulations governing their collection, and a comprehensive index.

Get ready for an epic mission INSIDE a water dragon in Alex Neptune's third fast and funny adventure - perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and Dragon Realm! The sea creatures near Haven Bay are acting very strangely, attacking boats, and Alex senses some dark power is controlling them. When he tracks down his friend the water dragon, he finds it's been infected too. If he can't find a way to stop it, the deadly parasite it's carrying could spread throughout the seas. After battling storms, electric eels and an army of angry crabs, Alex realises that the only way he and his team can save the dragon and all their ocean friends is by going inside the dragon...gulp!

A detailed natural history of sockeye salmon (and closely related rainbow trout) in Alaska's Bristol Bay region that weaves together their importance as a sport fish, environmental indicator, and life force for the entire ecosystem.

"The sea is as near as we come to another world." -Anne Stevenson This book celebrates oceans, coasts and shorelines the world over. Bringing together incredible stories and legends of the sea, delicious recipes and activities inspired by the coast, and fascinating trivia on everything from marine exploration to the turning tides, it will captivate anyone who is enthralled by the wonder of the sea. Learn about sea creatures, such as turtles, jellyfish, whales, sharks, and dolphins Dish up delicious recipes and drinks, such as seafood paella, potted shrimp, halloumi kebabs, and mint iced tea Get creative with crafts, such as driftwood art, seashell art, and building your own raft The Sea is beautiful and practical, delivering lessons on maritime history, coastline formations and features, famous lighthouses and shipwrecks, and myths and legends of the ocean while also offering do-it-yourself projects and encouragement for the more adventurous beach-goer who may want to try activities such as sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, kitesurfing, wild camping, fossil hunting, and building beach bonfires.

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.

Salmon are one of the most popular and commonly eaten fish and are among the most important fishery resources in the world. They are born and die in fresh water but can live in both fresh water and seawater where they migrate between rivers and oceans, showing amazing abilities to home to their natal stream precisely. However, their dynamic life cycles and mysterious abilities of natal stream imprinting and homing migration are not well understood. Physiological Aspects of Imprinting and Homing Migration in Salmon: Emerging Researches and Opportunities is a pivotal reference source that introduces the dynamic and complicated life cycle of salmon connected with fish migration and climate changes and presents physiological mechanisms of natal stream imprinting and homing in salmon with special references to hormone, olfaction, memory, and behavior. Additionally, salmon resources concerning salmon commercial fisheries, aquaculture, and global propagation systems are discussed. This book is ideally designed for ichthyologists, environmentalists, pisciculture professionals, fisheries, marine biologists, scientists, researchers, academicians, and students seeking coverage on one of the most integral species of fish in the world.

Born in the tumbling, oxygen-rich waters of a Pacific Coast stream, Salgair quickly learns about survival of the fittest. Following Salgair, a steelhead trout, as he grows from a small fry in a river to a trophy fish in the ocean, and experiences the dangers, both man-made and natural, that he faces during his life cycle. Barry Thornton is one of British Columbia's best known and respected fishing authors, having earned the Outdoor Writers of Canada Award of Merit, as well as the Roderick Haig-Brown Memorial Award. He has been involved with fishing and the outdoors all his life, as a professional educator and as an outdoors writer and photographer.