By Frances Dipper
Published by Underwater World Publications in 2001 (2nd edition)
This is Frances Dipper’s iconic field guide to the common sea fishes of Britain and Ireland, first published in 1987. Whilst the photographs are pre-digital, each is large and clear and accompanied by a detailed drawing of the species pointing out key identification features. The species are arranged, not in taxonomic order, but in four sections according to where they are usually found in the wild (soft seabed, hard seabed, open water, rarely seen fish). A particularly useful feature is the black thumbnail outlines of key groups of fishes (e.g. flatfish, gobies) along with a general description. This allows the reader to find out fast just what sort of fish they are trying to identify. Over 100 species are described in detail.
Illustrated by Robert Irving
Available at £9.95 from Divernet website.
Frances Dipper 