Inshore Fishes of Britain and Ireland - by Lin Baldock & Frances Dipper (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A beautifully illustrated photographic identification guide to the common marine fish found around Britain and Ireland--ideal for divers, snorkellers, and natural history enthusiasts

Fish are a colourful and important part of inshore marine life, much admired by divers and snorkellers. But it can be difficult to accurately identify and record these quick-moving animals underwater. This authoritative, beautifully illustrated photographic guide offers a practical, easy-to-use approach for identifying the fish species commonly seen in the waters around Britain and Ireland, as well as a few vagrant and interesting rare species. The book's concise text explains how fish can be identified underwater, and is accompanied by numerous photographs of each species in its natural environment and diagrams illustrating key features. The book also clearly indicates the cases when underwater species identification is more difficult. Published in association with the UK's Marine Conservation Society, the book makes an invaluable addition to the series of marine photographic titles of Seasearch, a species recording project for volunteer sports divers.

• Features individual descriptions of more than 150 species, with information on size, depth range, habitat and distribution in the Seasearch guide icon format
• Illustrates every species in its natural underwater environment
• Emphasises key identification features and possible confusion species
• Includes a "confidence guide" distinguishing between easily recognisable species and those requiring closer examination
• Features longer sections highlighting interesting species, behaviours and other topics
• Provides information on protected species, taxonomy, shifting distributions and conservation status

Review Quotes

"A book with so much to say, but told in a wonderfully concise manner, not a word on the page is wasted; with plenty of useful keys, gorgeous photographs of fishes in their respective biotopes, and is one of only a handful of books recognising broad single species cariations through an indentification context."---Josh Pickett, Sea Angler Magazine

"[A] fascinating field guide. . . . [Inshore Fishes of Britain and Ireland] is an excellent sourcebook with a great many of the latest firsthand materials. Information provided by this book, along with the data uploaded by the volunteer divers supported by the Seasearch project, will contribute significantly to the studies on marine life and marine ecosystems in British and Irish waters."---Kunyan Zheng, H-Net Reviews

"[Inshore Fishes of Britain and Ireland] is a first rate guide, well-conceived, well-produced and filled with information. It will be a joy for snorkellers, divers and keen naturalists."---David M. Gascoigne, Travels With Birds

"Attractively produced and printed on matt paper with usefully designedcover-flaps, this should be a book to treasure - even when, further down the line, it is reduced to a dog-eared existence in the club-van's glovebox."---Steve Weinman, DiverNet

"This book makes a significant advance in supporting the identification of fish in the UK by ail those who relish, or indeed depend on, accurate recording. . . . The authors and Seasearch are to be congratulated. The quality of these publications improves with every release."---Clare Peddie, Porcupine Marine Natural History Society

"A perfect companion for any diver or snorkeler."---Nick and Caroline Robertson-Brown, Scubaverse

About the Author

Lin Baldock is a biologist, a fully qualified commercial diver and an environmental consultant who has also worked as an academic researcher. Frances Dipper is a writer, lecturer and independent marine consultant who runs marine fish identification courses for marine consultancies and for Seasearch.