Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas
July 5, 2010 by Caribbean Vacation and Island Tips
Filed under Books
- ISBN13: 9781878348302
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
825 classic marine life photographs of 600 common and rare reef fish species. The easy-to-use, quick reference format makes it a snap to identify the myriad of fishes in Florida, Caribbean and Bahamas waters. A must for every serious diver. 6 inch x
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(out of 49 reviews)
List Price: $ 39.95
Price: $ 18.29
Review by Harold McFarland for Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas
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This is the authoritative reference for reef fish throughout the Florida, Caribbean and Bahamas area. The most complete book on reef fish that I have seen, it is easy to use and beautifully illustrated. Each fish has it’s own full color picture along with a line drawing that points out the defining characteristics of that particular species. With a plastic cover and the pages treated to resist water it can be taken to the beach or onto the boat without much concern about the water damaging the book. Each entry has complete information on the fish from size, depth, range and habitat to the level of concern that a diver should have for their safety around the fish. Whether you snorkel, scuba dive or engage in other activities around a reef, this is the best book to have to identify the fish. This book can also be purchased as part of a three part set that also includes the Reef Coral Identification and Reef Creature Identification texts, each of which is equally as excellent as the Reef Fish Identification book.
Review by Stephan Bullard for Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas
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If you are interested in identifying Caribbean reef fish, this is the best guide available. I am a professional marine biologist and have extensive diving experience on reefs in the Florida Keys and the Bahamas. I can honestly say that after 300+ underwater hours in these locations, I have never come across a bony fish that was not included in the guide. This fact was humorously brought home to me when I was in graduate school. My graduate advisor (a very experienced marine biologist with 20+ years of tropical diving experience) once thought that he had discovered a new species of fish. He was very excited and told all of us students to watch his fish and make sure “nothing happened” it. Needless to say, he was somewhat embarrassed when a 2 min investigation into the guide revealed that the fish was simply a wrasse blenny. The guide is well organized, informative, and easy to understand. Although some scientific terms are included, the text is generally designed for non-specialists. That said, however, the information is so well presented and comprehensive that every specialist I know makes extensive use of this guide. Additionally, the illustrations are remarkable. Each species is represented by one or several beautiful color photographs as well as a simplified line drawing with the important identification features indicated. Overall, I can recommend this guide to anyone interested in Caribbean Fishes and/or Marine Biology. The guide would make a particularly nice gift for someone with a marine interest. Also see the companion volume “Reef Fish Behavior: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas;” an equally excellent book, that adds the ecological dimension to reef fish identification.
Review by for Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas
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I visit family in St. Croix (US Virgin Islands) yearly, and I have looked at a number of books in order to learn the names of the numerous fish I see when I’m snorkeling or diving. This one makes identification easy, with beautiful pictures and the all-important “Distinctive Features” sections, which give you tips on how to distinguish one fish from the next. Make no mistake: this book is the easiest to use and the most comprehensive one I’ve seen. I’m online to buy the other two books (Reef Coral and Reef Creatures).
Review by Johannes for Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas
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When I first received this book as a christmas gift from my mother,I was shocked. It was spiral bound,but twice the size of a norma fish identification guide. At 424 pages & 670 photos,it is rather spectacular. Although I have only seen it in pictures,the west atlantic is my favourite underwater landscape,and therefore,it was a great honour to own this book.
The book begins with an introduction to fishes in the caribbean and the ecology of the reefs. A massive ID book is needed to identify fishes on the world`s second largest reef area.
Different from most other fish ID books,it is a rather special one that is dividing the fish into groups based on look rather than relationship. I`ll go through these groups one by one in this review.
ID group 1 is Disks/Oval,featuring some of my favourite fish,making a perfect beginning of the book.
Butterflyfish,angelfish,and surgeonfish can be found here.
Every description includes a short description of colors and gender differences,if any,distribution,family,size,depht and reaction to divers,and natural habitat.
The photographs are accompanied by b/w drawings of the silhouettes.
The second one is a rather large chapter,covering the silvery,stream-lined ocean hunters like barracudas,porgies,mojarras,dolphins,mullets,and the large predator cobia. Not very colorfull,but still majestic.
The 3rd chapter includes Sloping Head/Tapered body,with snappers and grunts as the main families.The grunts can be rather varied.
The 4th one includes Small Ovals,where the damselfish and chromis can be found. There are no anemonefish in the caribbean,but these are closely related to those. Also included here are the hamlets,which are all subspecies of one species.
These are very colorfull and cute little critters. The next chapter is Heavy Body/Large Lips,including the largest bony fishes here – groupers,of which the jewfish can weigh 900 pounds!
These are clumsy,but still charmy fishes. Except 30 species of those,the little fairy basslet,the most beautifull fish of the caribbean,is included here too,yellow and purple.
Swim with Pectoral Fins,which is ID group 6,includes the varied family of parrotfishes and wrasses,which are very colourfull. The Hogfish can also be found here,the character of the caribbean. ID group 7 introduces Reddish/Big Eyes,with the big-eyed squirrelfishes and the small,but beautifull cardinalfish.
ID group 8 treats the Small,Elongated Bottom-Dwellers,whose beauty is often underestimated,especially the cute gobies. The sailfin blenny is one of my favourites. Here,we can also find the yellowhead jawfish,which is a famous fish here too. Odd-Shaped Bottom Dwellers includes the toadfish and the funny-looking flounders & batfishes,who walks on their fins!I am very fascinated by the looks of the strange frogfishes. Odd-Shaped Swimmers (chapter 10) includes the pufferfish,which can fill themselves with air,and the funny-looking trumpetfish. Also found here are the boxfishes,who are covered with armor,except for their fins,eyes and mouth. They can have very beautifull colors. The triggerfish can be found too. They are colorfull,although agressive inhabitants of the coral reefs. So are their close relatives,the filefishes.
And finally,the cutest fish in the Caribbean,can also be found here. It is the little yellow porcupinefish,less than an inch in size. The famous jack-knife is also found in this chapter. It looks like a cross between a scalare and a chromis!
It is believed to be the juvenile form of the web burrfish.
The 11th chapter is the Eel Deal of the book. Here comes the snake eels,beautifull but mysterious bottom dwellers. And last,but not least,the venomous moray eels also lurks in this chapter. The 8-foot green moray is the most famous,while the most scary one is the viper moray with huge teeth!I love moray eels,so this is a paradise for me!
The final chapter “Sharks & Rays” deals with the ultimate UW predators. But not all sharks a fierce. In fact,the whale shark is one of the friendliest fishes in the world,reaching a size of 60 feet and harmless to everything but plancton!The nurse shark is also a character of the Caribbean. Other ones included here are the manta ray,lemon shark,mako shark (the fastest fish in the world)and the dangerous tiger & bull sharks.
This is a chapter I would have liked to expand a bit,but as many sharks are not reef dwellers,I understand why they did not included the great white and/or the Megamouth.
Over all,now I have gone through all chapters fastly,but you have to see this book to really enjoy it. When I go to the Caribbean or Florida,I will bring this book and see how many fish I can identify.
So go get it!
Review by Beth Cholette for Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas
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After we came back from our honeymoon, I wanted to buy my husband a book to help identify the various fish we encountered on our trip, and this book turned out to be perfect. First of all, the fish are broken down into various classifications, and each category is clearly labelled. There are wonderfully clear, glossy pictures of each individual fish combined with a detailed description which includes information such as size, colors, appearance of immature, habitat, and reaction to divers. An ideal book for serious research or just for fun.