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Books > Sport & Leisure > Natural history, country life & pets > Wild animals > Aquatic creatures > General
A fascinating journey into the extraordinary world of the king of
fish: the salmon. This beautiful book explores the natural history
of this most mysterious of fishes. Michael Wigan explores the life
cycle of the salmon, weaving his own experiences and stories of
salmon fishing and spotting into an evocative narrative. Crucially,
he addresses the pressing matter of conservation issues and human
management, which in the past has led to fast decreasing
populations. History suggests it is the pressure of human
development which has narrowed down the survival zone of the
salmon, and the author questions whether we can go on altering
natural systems and freshwater rivers in order to make space for
human populations, and do so in sync with fish needs. In his unique
and passionate voice, the author transports us to another world -
his writing is beautifully evocative and his excitement for the
salmon palpable throughout.
"A thorough and engaging history of Maine's rocky coast and its
tough-minded people."-Boston Herald "[A] well-researched and
well-written cultural and ecological history of stubborn
perseverance."-USA Today For more than four hundred years the
people of coastal Maine have clung to their rocky, wind-swept
lands, resisting outsiders' attempts to control them while
harvesting the astonishing bounty of the Gulf of Maine. Today's
independent, self-sufficient lobstermen belong to the communities
imbued with a European sense of ties between land and people, but
threatened by the forces of homogenization spreading up the eastern
seaboard.In the tradition of William Warner's Beautiful Swimmers,
veteran journalist Colin Woodard (author of American Character: A
History of the Epic Struggle Between Individual Liberty and the
Common Good) traces the history of the rugged fishing communities
that dot the coast of Maine and the prized crustacean that has long
provided their livelihood. Through forgotten wars and rebellions,
and with a deep tradition of resistance to interference by people
"from away," Maine's lobstermen have defended an earlier vision of
America while defying the "tragedy of the commons"-the notion that
people always overexploit their shared property. Instead, these
icons of American individualism represent a rare example of true
communal values and collaboration through grit, courage, and
hard-won wisdom.
An updated and comprehensive guide identifying all of the world's
sharks Sharks are some of the most misunderstood animals on the
planet. We still have a lot to learn about these fascinating
creatures, which are more seriously threatened with extinction and
in greater need of conservation and management than any other major
group of vertebrates. A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World is the
only field guide to identify, illustrate, and describe every known
shark species. Its compact format makes it handy for many
situations, including recognizing living species, fishery catches,
or parts sold at markets. This expanded second edition presents
lavish images, details on newly discovered species, and updated
text throughout. The book contains useful sections on identifying
shark teeth and the shark fins most commonly encountered in the fin
trade, and takes a look at shark biology, ecology, and
conservation. A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World will be an
essential resource and definitive reference for years to come. An
updated guide to all of the world's sharks Each species is
illustrated and described Handy, compact format with concise text
Useful sections on the identification of shark teeth and fins
A waterproof, pocket-sized photo identification guide of 150 most
commonly seen fish in Hawaii that snorkelers and divers can take
with them underwater
Because every drug certified by the FDA must be tested using the
horseshoe crab derivative known as Limulus lysate, a
multimillion-dollar industry has emerged involving the license to
bleed horseshoe crabs and the rights to their breeding grounds.
William Sargent presents a thoroughly accessible insider's guide to
the discovery of the lysate test, the exploitation of the horseshoe
crab at the hands of multinational pharmaceutical conglomerates,
local fishing interests, and the legal and governmental wrangling
over the creatures' ultimate fate. In the end, the story of the
horseshoe crab is a sobering reflection on the unintended
consequences of scientific progress and the danger of
self-regulated industries controlling a limited natural resource.
This new edition brings the story up to date as companies race to
manufacture alternatives to the horseshoe crab blood, which is now
essential for testing vaccines such as those developed to counter
COVID-19. However, horseshoe crab populations are still dwindling,
with profound implications not only for the future of the crabs
themselves but also for the ecosystems that depend on them.
Alaska pollock is everywhere. If you're eating fish but you don't
know what kind it is, it's almost certainly pollock. Prized for its
generic fish taste, pollock masquerades as crab meat in california
rolls and seafood salads, and it feeds millions as fish sticks in
school cafeterias and Filet-O-Fish sandwiches at McDonald's. That
ubiquity has made pollock the most lucrative fish harvest in
America-the fishery in the United States alone has an annual value
of over one billion dollars. But even as the money rolls in,
pollock is in trouble: in the last few years, the pollock
population has declined by more than half, and some scientists are
predicting the fishery's eventual collapse. In Billion-Dollar Fish,
Kevin M. Bailey combines his years of firsthand pollock research
with a remarkable talent for storytelling to offer the first
natural history of Alaska pollock. Crucial to understanding the
pollock fishery, he shows, is recognizing what aspects of its
natural history make pollock so very desirable to fish, while at
the same time making it resilient, yet highly vulnerable to
overfishing. Bailey delves into the science, politics, and
economics surrounding Alaska pollock in the Bering Sea, detailing
the development of the fishery, the various political machinations
that have led to its current management, and, perhaps most
important, its impending demise. He approaches his subject from
multiple angles, bringing in the perspectives of fishermen,
politicians, environmentalists, and biologists, and drawing on
revealing interviews with players who range from Greenpeace
activists to fishing industry lawyers. Seamlessly weaving the
biology and ecology of pollock with the history and politics of the
fishery, as well as Bailey's own often raucous tales about life at
sea, Billion-Dollar Fish is a book for every person interested in
the troubled relationship between fish and humans, from the depths
of the sea to the dinner plate.
This book is aimed at walkers, wild swimmers, kayakers, divers, in
fact anyone exploring the coastline whether along the shore,on, or
under the water. No doubt it will give equal pleasure to the
armchair explorer. Lou's entertaining and clear writing showcases
the life stories of a wide selection of coastal inhabitants; from
barnacles and jellyfish, to seals and lichens and is brought to
life by full colour, professional quality images from her own
collection.
A captivating historical look at the cultural and artistic
significance of shells in early modern Europe Among nature's most
artful creations, shells have long inspired the curiosity and
passion of artisans, artists, collectors, and thinkers.
Conchophilia delves into the intimate relationship between shells
and people, offering an unprecedented account of the early modern
era, when the influx of exotic shells to Europe fueled their study
and representation as never before. From elaborate nautilus cups
and shell-encrusted grottoes to delicate miniatures, this richly
illustrated book reveals how the love of shells intersected not
only with the rise of natural history and global trade but also
with philosophical inquiry, issues of race and gender, and the
ascent of art-historical connoisseurship. Shells circulated at the
nexus of commerce and intellectual pursuit, suggesting new ways of
thinking about relationships between Europe and the rest of the
world. The authors focus on northern Europe, where the interest and
trade in shells had its greatest impact on the visual arts. They
consider how shells were perceived as exotic objects, the role of
shells in courtly collections, their place in still-life tableaus,
and the connections between their forms and those of the human
body. They examine how artists gilded, carved, etched, and inked
shells to evoke the permeable boundary between art and nature.
These interactions with shells shaped the ways that early modern
individuals perceived their relation to the natural world, and
their endeavors in art and the acquisition of knowledge. Spanning
painting and print to architecture and the decorative arts,
Conchophilia uncovers the fascinating ways that shells were
circulated, depicted, collected, and valued during a time of
remarkable global change.
A comprehensive guide to the freshwater fishes of the Okavango Delta and Chobe River, this book offers background information on the diverse aquatic habitats of the region and on fish feeding, breeding and survival strategies. It also provides useful hints for anglers. The species entries describe each fish in detail, with key ID points and information on habits and occurrence. Each account is accompanied by a colour illustration or photograph. The book concludes with information on how best to utilise and conserve the fishes of the delta system and Chobe River.
This is the only such guide to fishes of the region and will be invaluable to local and visiting fishermen, naturalists, conservationists, as well as the many tourists who visit this spectacular African paradise.
Beginning life in the Sargasso Sea, the eel travels across the ocean, lives for twenty or so years, and then is driven by some instinct back across the ocean to spawn and die. And the next generation starts the story again. No one knows why the eels return, or how the orphaned elvers learn their way back. One man discovered, after many adventures, the breeding ground of all eels ? and he is the hero of this book.
Eels were being caught and consumed 5000 years before the birth of Christ ? Aristotle and Pliny wrote about them; Romans regarded them as a peerless delicacy; Egyptians accorded them semi-sacred status; English kings died of overeating them. There are many strange practices among eel fishers all over the world, and many great fortunes based upon the eel harvest.
The Book of Eels, a combination of social comment, biography and natural history, is also a fascinating and witty account of Tom Fort?s obsession with the eel, his journeying to discover the eel in all its habitats, and the people he meets in his pursuit.
If you want to do your bit to support local biodiversity, start
your own wildlife pond in your back garden. Whether you are looking
to do something to help the environment, building a feature pond as
a family landscaping project, or attracting local wildlife to your
garden; a wildlife pond is a perfect addition to your gardening
efforts. Learn everything there is to know about wildlife ponds
with: - Photographic and illustrative step-by-step guides on
planning, creating, and maintaining your pond - A variety of pond
types covered, including natural-style ponds, container ponds, and
more traditional, formal-style ponds that still attract wildlife -
What to expect throughout the seasons, the creatures that will
visit, and the aquatic plants that will thrive - Tips on what to
look out for in your pond, encouraging a natural eco-system, and
how to maintain your newly built pond throughout the year Find out
everything you'll need to know to create a natural sanctuary in
your garden! This book shows you how to create a backyard pond
without filters, pipes, and chemicals, and how to attract and
support local species. RHS How to Create a Wildlife Pond provides
easy-to-follow steps on how to dig your own pond line, advice on
which pond plants to choose from, and how to make sure local
wildlife can enjoy your pond safely. This book will also give you
advice on how to take care of your newly built water feature so
that you're able to enjoy the local animals, insects and birds for
years to come. You can expect to see blackbirds bathing in your
pond, hedgehogs using it as a water source, and bats flying over at
night to catch insects. This wonderful book is filled with
photographs and illustrations that will make planning and creating
your own pond a therapeutic and fulfilling experience! Complete the
Series: There are so many ways for you to enjoy your garden! If
you're looking for tips on environmental changes and landscaping
ideas, DK books have even more gardening guides and projects for
you to explore. Discover RHS How to Garden the Low Carbon Way, or
bring even more feathered friends to your garden with How to
Attract Birds to Your Garden.
'Wild and wonderful ... I doubt anyone will ever match Strandings
for its sheer bravura, its wry insight, and its absolute,
engulfing, and brilliantly enlivening whaleheadedness' PHILIP
HOARE, ALBERT AND THE WHALE 'Addictive and scandalously
fascinating' Caught by the River When Peter Riley was thirteen, a
woman with blue hair and a comet tattoo asked him to help load the
jaw of a sperm whale into the back of a Volvo 245. The encounter
set Riley on a decades-long quest to make sense of what had
happened. Enter the secretive world of whale scavengers. When a
whale washes up on one of Britain's coasts, a fugitive community
descends to claim trophies from the carcass. Some are driven by
magical beliefs. Some are motivated by profit: there is a black
market for everything from ambergris to whaletooth sex toys. But
for others, the need goes much deeper. Join Riley on a tour of a
stranded kingdom's weird outer reaches, where nothing is as it
seems. Meet witches, pedlars, fetishists, conspiracy theorists and
fallen aristocrats. And prepare for a final revelation, as the
mystery of the comet woman tangles with the enigmatic symbol of
Leviathan itself, beached on Britain's fatal shore.
Humans and dolphins have a unique bond. We know that dolphins are
highly intelligent, intensely sociable beings who recognize their
own reflections, introduce themselves by name, form close
friendships, communicate constantly, feel despondent, rescue one
another (and humans), deduce, infer, throw tantrums, gossip, joke,
and scheme. Many who have swum with them describe the experience as
life-changing. They are heralded as magical creatures, and yet we
force them into starring roles at theme parks, trade them on the
black market and put them to slaughter. Voices in the Ocean is at
once a celebration of these beloved animals and a devastating
chronicle of the damage wrought when human and dolphin worlds meet.
Through Casey's illuminating portrayal of these beguiling creatures
we encounter the best and worst of ourselves.
This is a guide book for those totally new to the art of tying
flies. Until now, learning flytying from a book has not only been
challenging, but often the cause of great frustration, with
photographs or diagrams making even the elementary techniques
difficult to grasp. Step-by-step images help a reasonably
proficient flytyer understand the stages in making a fly, but for
the new beginner, there will always be a gap between each
step-by-step image, which can be bewildering. Seeing the manual
maneuvers that take place in these pages can make the different
between success and failure for a beginner. The techniques you will
learn in this book are the building blocks for which all successful
fishing flies, even the most complex ones, are based.
The fishes of New Zealand are part of the Indo-Pacific fish fauna,
by far the richest in the world. This guide covers many bony (or
teleostean) reef fishes belonging to the super class PISCES, class
OSTEICHTHYES, and discusses their habits by day and night, their
modes of life, diet and relation to their surroundings. Each fish
is illustrated with at least one full colour photograph. There is
also an authoritative section on fish design, as well as
classification.
“Anyone fascinated by the underwater world will be riveted by the
photos in this richly illustrated guide... Readers can lose
themselves in the magnificent environment beneath the sea....”
—Publishers Weekly on the first edition of Reef Life. From tide
pools to coral reefs and the open ocean beyond lies a world
abounding with colourful and fascinating creatures. The lure of the
life that inhabits the ocean’s reefs and open waters is no secret
to scuba enthusiasts and snorkellers who enjoy gazing upon this
wonderful world through their dive masks. A practical and
comprehensive guidebook for divers, naturalists and ocean lovers,
Reef Life identifies the most commonly encountered animals in the
tropical marine environment. This marvellous book features more
than 1,000 beautiful colour photographs that provide a window into
this magnificent world. A gallery of over 425 ray-finned fish
species, as well as elasmobranchs (sharks, rays and skates),
invertebrates, marine reptiles and marine mammals, offers readers
an extensive identification guide to the most commonly seen marine
species, with detailed descriptions of size, habitat, range and
behaviour. The book also includes: A guide to tropical marine
ecosystems; Surveys of global coral reef communities, from the
Caribbean to the Red Sea; And a discussion about the factors that
are threatening marine ecosystems today. This updated edition
features new photographs, 33 new species profiles and an extended
chapter about the state of the ocean and reefs on our rapidly
changing planet. Reef Life is a handy, portable and comprehensive
reference in a time when understanding and appreciating the
diversity of our tropical oceans is at a critical point.
Practical and portable, this is the ultimate field guide to the
world's cetaceans. This outstanding new field guide to whales,
dolphins and porpoises is the most comprehensive, authoritative and
up-to-date guide to these popular mammals. With more than 500
accurate illustrations - complete with detailed annotations
pointing out the most significant field marks - Field Guide to
Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises covers all 93 species and every
subspecies in the world. Many of the world's most respected whale
biologists have collaborated on the concise text, which is packed
with helpful identification tips from cetacean expert, Mark
Carwardine. Mark's informative text is accompanied by up-to-date
distribution maps for each species. Beautifully designed, to ensure
critical information is quickly accessible, this is an
indispensable resource that every whale-watcher will want to carry
out to sea.
Fisherman Mark Spitzer takes readers on an action-packed
investigation of the most fierce and fearsome freshwater grotesques
of the American West ever to inspire both hatred and fascination.
Through the lenses of history, folklore, biology, ecology, and
politics, Beautifully Grotesque Fish of the American West depicts
the environmental destruction plaguing the most maligned creatures
in our midst while subtly interweaving Spitzer's experiences of
personal tragedy and self-discovery. Join Spitzer as he noodles for
flathead catfish in Oklahoma, snags paddlefish in Missouri,
trotline- and electro-fishes American eels in Arkansas, studies
razorback suckers in Arizona, bounty hunts for pikeminnows in
Washington State, attends a burbot festival in Utah, stirs up Asian
carp in Kansas, and breaks the state record for the largest yellow
bullhead ever caught in Nebraska. By examining freakish links in a
vital chain and working with specialists in the field, Spitzer
portrays a planet in environmental crisis and dispels the illusion
that our actions don't result in long-term, toxic consequences.
Spitzer offers models for fisheries and provides other sources of
hope in this informative epic of redemption that ultimately
celebrates the wild and resilient beauty and remaining
possibilities of the American West. Watch a book trailer. Visit the
Where in the West is Mark Spitzer? blog series for additional
reading and a look at more photographs not included in the book.
Off the coast of California, running from Santa Barbara to La
Jolla, lies an archipelago of eight islands known as the California
Channel Islands. The northern five were designated as Channel
Islands National Park in 1980 to protect and restore the rich
habitat of the islands and surrounding waters. In the years since,
that mission intensified as scientists discovered the extent of
damage to the delicate habitats of these small fragments of land
and to the surprisingly threatened sea around them. In Restoring
Nature Lary M. Dilsaver and Timothy J. Babalis examine how the
National Park Service has attempted to reestablish native wildlife
and vegetation to the five islands through restorative ecology and
public land management. The Channel Islands staff were innovators
of the inventory and monitoring program whereby the resource
problems were exposed. This program became a blueprint for
management throughout the U.S. park system. Dilsaver and Babalis
present an innovative regional and environmental history of a
little-known corner of the Pacific West, as well as a larger
national narrative about how the Park Service developed its
approach to restoration ecology, which became a template for
broader Park Service policies that shaped the next generation of
environmental conservation.
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