From mudminnows and sunfishes to lampreys and sturgeons, the guide describes more than one hundred fifty species of freshwater and coastal estuarine fishes that spend all or major portions of their lives in the fresh waters of South Carolina. For each species the authors provide diagnostic characteristics including size, markings, similar species, and sexual dimorphism as well as information on biology, habitat, and distribution. Color photographs and detailed distribution maps accompany each description. --from publisher description.
This book is a comprehensive identification guide to the 222 species of fishes in Florida’s fresh waters. Each species is presented with color photographs, key characteristics for identification, comparisons to similar species, habitat descriptions, and dot distribution maps. Florida's unique mix of species includes some of the world's favorite sport fishes, the Tarpon and Largemouth Bass. This guide also features three species native only to Florida—the Seminole Killifish, Flagfish, and Okaloosa Darter—and the smallest freshwater fish in North America, the Least Killifish. Ranging from the panhandle to the Everglades, their habitats include springs, creeks, rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps, marshes, and man-made canals. As Florida's human population grows, the state's freshwater environments are being changed in ways that threaten its native fishes. This book provides important information on the diversity, distribution, and environmental needs of both native and nonindigenous species, helping us monitor and take care of Florida's water and its aquatic inhabitants.
The book also discusses the Savannah River, tributary streams, reservoirs, and ponds from the 1950s to the present detailing ecological changes, habitats, and associated fish assemblages."--BOOK JACKET.
A beautifully illustrated guide to the diverse and numerous freshwater fish species in Virginia. In Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of Virginia, the foremost experts on Commonwealth fishes bring their decades of field experience to readers, offering a complete reference to the fishes of the entire state of Virginia. Gathering information that until now could only be found scattered across numerous reference works and online databases, this book provides everything you need to know to identify fish families and species in the Virginia region. Covering how to collect, handle, observe, conserve, and protect these unique fishes, the book's key features include • more than 175 vibrant, full-color illustrations, set side by side with descriptions of each fish • helpful line drawings that depict the most reliable diagnostic characteristics for field identifications (e.g., snout shape, pigment patterns, mouth morphology) • descriptions of Virginia's freshwater habitats • examples of incredible fish spawning and feeding behavior • tips on observing fish in the wild and in captivity • a chapter on the taxonomy of family and common names of the fish species most common throughout Virginia • up-to-date fish distribution maps • a complete glossary of terms Providing a fascinating foray into the wonders of the Commonwealth's swimmers, Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of Virginia will appeal to scientists, naturalists, teachers, native fish aquarists, students, anglers, and fish collectors.
Make identifying freshwater fish easy and enjoyable. This field guide by Dave Bosanko features detailed information about 79 types of North Carolina and South Carolina fish, and the book's waterproof pages make it perfect for the dock or boat. Identify your catches with the intricately detailed fish illustrations, and verify them using the "Similar Species" comparison features. Then read fascinating facts on spawning behavior, feeding habits and more. Plus, match up your best catches against the state and North American records. With inside information for locating fishing hotspots, this book is essential for every tackle box, beach bag, RV and cabin.
John McPhee's twenty-sixth book is a braid of personal history, natural history, and American history, in descending order of volume. Each spring, American shad-Alosa sapidissima-leave the ocean in hundreds of thousands and run heroic distances upriver to spawn. McPhee--a shad fisherman himself--recounts the shad's cameo role in the lives of George Washington and Henry David Thoreau. He fishes with and visits the laboratories of famous ichthyologists; he takes instruction in the making of shad darts from a master of the art; and he cooks shad in a variety of ways, delectably explained at the end of the book. Mostly, though, he goes fishing for shad in various North American rivers, and he "fishes the same way he writes books, avidly and intensely. He wants to know everything about the fish he's after--its history, its habits, its place in the cosmos" (Bill Pride, The Denver Post). His adventures in pursuit of shad occasion the kind of writing--expert and ardent--at which he has no equal.
The first section of the book covers more than 50 different freshwater and saltwater fish. For each specific fish, you'll find information about the types of waters where you can find the fish, details about their habits, the best ways of presenting baits or lures, and consistent places where you can catch that fish. The second section gives details about 100 bodies of water, arranged geographically into mountains, Piedmont, and coastal sections. Each entry covers the best ways to catch particular species at that location and the best places in the water body to begin fishing. It also offers general information such as special rules and regulations, nearest campgrounds, and directions to access points. Using this guide will help you know where to go, what to bring, and what to expect when fishing throughout the state.
