Best biology of fishes & sharks books according to redditors

For pretty much every animal we eat, there are examples like this. Maybe not a task just like this, but you get the point. We have historically and constantly underestimated the intelligence and resourcefulness of most non-human animals. Even "dumb" animals like chickens and fish perform impressive behaviors. E.g., BBC article on chickens and check out this book by an animal behaviorist about fish.

And at any rate, whether they are "smart" or not doesn't affect their ability to suffer or their desire/capacity to not suffer. I think what /u/jeegte12 was trying to say was not really about a false dichotomy like killing a dumb person versus a smart person, but rather that we should avoid killing people regardless of their intelligence-- because even a dumb person wants to live and can feel pain and suffering.

Was it this one?

I recommend the book "What a Fish Knows": https://www.amazon.com/What-Fish-Knows-Underwater-Cousins/dp/0374537097

I have a fly fishing book called Trout and Their Food written by a fisherman/biologist/artist who would snorkel with a weight belt in rivers and observe the trout and where they held, how, what and when they ate, etc. It's very eye opening. Anyone who fly fishes should read it. Totally changed how I approach fishing.

It's a good example of a controversial position.

For more fun, check out this thread:

http://animalstudiesrepository.org/animsent/vol1/iss3/1/

The start is an article about fish not feeling pain. It has about fifty responses, including one from the guy who wrote that book "What a Fish Knows."

It seems a moral precautionary approach is called for. If you don't know, don't kill.

Software wise, Subsurface is a fantastic open source dive logger. It runs on mobile and Mac/Windows. Both sync to the cloud so you can access the same data on either. You can also use it to publish your logbook to https://www.divelogs.de/.

For books, at least for the west coast, I'd highly recommend:

Coastal Fish Identification: California to Alaska (the same author has published excellent guides for other regions as well)

A Guide to the Rockfishes, Thornyheads, and Scorpionfishes of the Northeast Pacific (Milton Love's other fish books are also well worthwhile, and downright hilarious. He's a marine biologist at UC Santa Barbara, and if you ever get a chance to hear him talk, don't miss out.)

You might find this book interesting : https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Fish-Knows-Underwater-Cousins/dp/0374288216 by ethologist Jonathan Balcombe.

Also this: http://animalstudiesrepository.org/animsent/

I’m midway through the book “What a Fish Knows,” which pulls together much of what is currently known about some of your questions. You might enjoy it: https://www.amazon.com/What-Fish-Knows-Underwater-Cousins/dp/0374537097/ref=nodl_

> I’ve since learnt that they are actually quite intelligent. They can recognise each other, communicate, and grieve the loss of their companions. Some can even use objects as tools, and others make art in the sand to attract mates.

I'm only semi-familiar with animal cognition research, but I found this section very surprising. So, in case others thought it sounded like a stretch, here were some articles I found talking about some of the things he mentioned:

Tool use: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fishes-use-problem-solving-and-invent-tools/

Cognition/emotion: http://www.animalsandsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/170-172-Do-Fish-Feel-Pain.pdf which refers to this book

"Making art in the sand": http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/08/15/whats-this-mysterious-circle-on-the-seafloor/ (I wouldn't call mating displays "art" but I see what he was getting at)

(I couldn't find anything about "grieving for their companions")

At least for me, it still reads a little bit like hyperbole, but reading these was useful at challenging my preconceptions.

Fish Do The Strangest Things https://www.amazon.com/dp/0394800621/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_D1f8BbSA2CMPW

Possibly this book. I’m looking for my copy.

Don't know of a great app, but there are lots of great books on the subject. They are all location-specific, so recommendations may be based on where you dive.

For the Caribbean, I can highly recommend this book:

Reef Fish Identification - Florida Caribbean Bahamas - 4th Edition (Reef Set)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1878348574/

It is part of a set that includes books on fish identification, other creature identification, coral identification, and then a book on fish behavior.

Sounds like a good start, lol. r/bettafish has lots of good info in their sidebar - just cycle the aquarium first - which the sidebar here has the info. 5.5gallon sounds great. Only exception being the petco "king" bettas which I'd suggest 10g or larger. Get a good pellet (omega one or new life spectrum) add once a week frozen daphnia (prevents bloating and is yummy).

Also, if you want to put yourself through another emotional wringer with fish read What a fish Knows by Jonathan Balcombe.

I read this book a little while ago and was pretty surprised by it. You might find it worth considering.

I am too excited about this so I figured I'd share with all of you. It looks fascinating and the reviews are great. I can't wait to read it!

Oh, and George is in the background. I had to step back from the tank because apparently he did not like pictures of the fish on the cover and whenever the book got near the tank he would thrash the water surface. Maybe it's a South American / African feud thing.

Amazon Link:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Cichlid-Fishes-Experiment-Evolution/dp/0738205281/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

That book is a great suggestion, here's another- http://www.amazon.com/Orvis-Guide-Reading-Trout-Streams/dp/1558219331/ref=pd_sim_b_2

It could be a combination of all of the above, or none of the above. Depth is important, size is important, too. If you are still fishing winter conditions, the takes are very subtle and you may be getting bites that you don't even realize. I set on everything that has a remote chance of being a strike this time of year.

If you can take a class or go on a guided trip, it will help you out immensely, especially as you are learning new water.

I also got a lot of benefit from getting a net seine to see what bugs are actually in the water and then using that to match my flies. Another great resource that I've used is The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing

Keep at it, the best way to improve is to keep practicing!

The circling behaviour, or "carouselling" is one of a series of escalating steps cichlids use to assess the size/fighting ability of their opponents. Pretty much, the fish start by looking at each other, and if one is clearly bigger, the dispute ends. If they're similarly sized, the bout will escalate into some series of gill flares, carouselling, and finally jaw locking. By doing this, the fish are able to prevent wasting energy/injury unless they really need to - i.e. they are actually really closely matched. If you're interested in this stuff, I strongly recommend reading "The Cichlid Fishes" by George Barlow. It's an easy and really interesting read.

This is THE book.

I have it from diving. My girlfriend has an abridged waterproof copy that's printed on synthetic paper that she has actually taken on dives with her.

You can also buy a 3 volume set that includes coral and other reef creatures.

Edit: I just looked at mine. It's great but it talks more about how the fish will respond to divers. I don't see much help on whether or not they're tasty.

PETA has long had a campaign against fishing.

["What a Fish Knows"] (https://www.amazon.com/What-Fish-Knows-Underwater-Cousins/dp/0374537097/) is a really great book about how fish should get greater consideration. I highly recommend adding it to your summer reading list.

There are a handful of decent books on this, and a few websites.
The book that got it started was Carp on the Fly by Brad Befus and Barry Reynolds, waaaay back in 1997.

More recently Kirk Deeter did a guide book for Orvis that's actually very good; I've never been very fond of Orvis, but it's a solid book.

Finally, check out The Best Carp Flies by Jay Zimmerman. He talks about presentations, water types, and more - and the tying instructions are first-rate.

Finally, give it a good Google...but make sure you check out the Fly-Carpin' website. Trevor has largely stepped away now and isn't making frequent updates, but there's a TON of fantastic information still available there. Start here with his How-To section and tear it up.

Oh...and welcome to the revolution....

The closest fish i could find was was the Porkfish (Anisotremus Virginicus) (Linnaeus, 1758) i use a field guide that my Ichthyology professor wrote. Heres a link to it in case you wanted on its the most complete field guide available for fish from Maine to Texas. I'm 90% sure its the correct fish looking at other pictures of that species showed some deviation in the brown lateral line seen in your fish but it has all the quality's that your fish has.

http://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Coastal-Fishes-Maine/dp/0801898382/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413477149&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=a+field+guide+to+costal+fishes+from+maine+to+texas

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1934622117/ref=mp_s_a_1_25?ie=UTF8&qid=1474608021&sr=8-25&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=in+fisherman

This is what you're looking for. The In-Fisherman books are the most detailed fishing books ever. Period. I highly recommend any of their books. This one will help you get started. It's definitely worth the money.

this book, along with "tactical fly fishing" both changed the way i fish

https://www.amazon.com/Trout-Their-Food-Compact-Fishers/dp/1602396930

Is it Fish Do the Strangest Things by Leonora Hornblow? Its not all about sharks, but it includes the text from your image and the paperback version has a shark on the cover.

Barry Reynolds Carp on the Fly The OG carp bible

The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing for Carp: Tips and Tricks for the Determined Angler

Dan Frasier's new book The Orvis Beginner's Guide to Carp Flies: 101 Patterns & How and When to Use Them

You're also going to have better shots at carp on foot, rather than in a boat anyways.

And you do realize that John Montana Bartlett does 90% of his fishing on the Big C, as in the Columbia river, right? Thats PNW

Original post: http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/mdgsg/this_is_my_grandpa_bill/

Here's a book on how to do it. I wonder how the curvature of handlebars would affect this.

Ive got the "little red book of fly fishing" if you're interested in swapping for the whitlock book.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0061QUQM4/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1

That's cool! You ever read Founding Fish about shad in the rivers? Awesome

Yeah, there is something better. Being in that beautiful place AND catching a fish. "When you're fishing, nothing beats catching fish!" - Unnamed New England Shad fisherman quoted in this book

www.amazon.com/Fishes-Dangerous-Alan-Mark-Fletcher/dp/B0033Z4BUE

Check out "What a Fish Knows" by Jonathan Balcombe (https://www.amazon.com/What-Fish-Knows-Underwater-Cousins/dp/0374537097). I just started reading it, but so far it's been a fun look at fish intelligence.

I was bored and decided to practice my Google fu. From what I could find Jed Hollan used to (perhaps he still does, although I doubt it since The Little Red Flyshop, of which he used to manage, has since closed down) publish a flyfishing report every two weeks. It seems he was mainly a fly fishing journalist, and he wrote a lot for Arkansas Fly Fishers magazine. You can see one of his reports featured in this issue if you are looking to read him, specifically (the link is to the download of the pdf).

I am wondering, however, if you might have gotten mixed up and you are really looking for The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing? Welp, I suppose I'm done now...Back to being bored again, aha. Tight lines, my friend.

Recommend the 2016 book, What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins by Jonathan Balcombe.

The fish I thought had the the most inquisitive look was a ancient 1.6 m Humphead (Napoleon) wrasse, who followed our group and looked at our equipment with its eye. Sadly, endangered in its home waters due to overfishing, including with explosives & cyanide, in Indonesia, the Phillipines, and Sabah Malasia.

Fish Do the Strangest Things by Leonora Hornblow, I think.

In case you're still wondering, the book is called Fish do the Strangest Things by Leonora Hornblow

For some more nastalgia this site has some more images from the shark section of the book.

A few things I have on my list (being fairly new myself)

http://www.amazon.com/Orvis-Guide-Prospecting-Trout-Revised/dp/1599211475/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323023476&sr=8-1

and

http://www.amazon.com/Orvis-Guide-Reading-Trout-Streams/dp/1558219331/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323023530&sr=1-1

If anybody is interested in how fish think and feel then I recommend 'What a Fish Knows' by Jon Balcombe.
Although there are more than thirty thousand species of fish more than all mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians combined we rarely consider how individual fishes think, feel, and behave. Balcombe upends our assumptions about fishes, portraying them not as unfeeling, dead-eyed feeding machines but as sentient, aware, social, and even Machiavellian in other words, much like us.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Fish-Knows-Underwater-Cousins/dp/0374288216

The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing. Small book, 240 tips on every aspect. It's a great book to have on your bed table, glove box, bathroom, etc. when you just want to read a few pages at a time.
http://www.amazon.ca/The-Little-Red-Book-Fishing/dp/1602399816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332948274&sr=8-1

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet but I highly recommend the book What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins. It goes into great depth about how a fish perceives.

Sure thing. These are my favorite guides.
Pretty exhaustive, good details on habitat, color, and range, and lots of pictures of different phases and regional color morphs.

I think it can be done - it's discussed briefly to in this book:Simple Fly Fishing: Techniques for Tenkara and Rod and Reel. Apparently you should expect to do some stream-side running, and it's not uncommon for anglers to have to toss their rods into the water, wading in to retrieve it later when the fish return to it pre-hooking lay.

Here's the report on the Tenkara rod:

I picked up a selection of flies from Tenkara Fly Shop. The owner hand ties the flies, and was incredibly responsive. He contacted me after my order, and changed things up to suit the area I was fishing in. He was very knowledgeable of the area I would be in and had great suggestions. Turn around time was very quick.

The Stuart Fork was great and easy to fish. Once I learned some different techniques, like Bow and Arrow Casting I was catching everything in the water. I got tangled up in the trees for a bit, but quickly learned where my line would go during the cast.

The lakes (Emerald and Sapphire) were incredibly productive, and I was definitely outfishing the people with spin outfits. I couldn't get the distance they could, but I caught some 10" brooks for dinner and an 18" rainbow which I released.

Overall I really enjoyed using the rod. It was durable, easy to use and setup, and had me fishing a lot more then if I had to setup a spin outfit. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to fish while backpacking.

Also, I read this book on the trail and it helped immensely.

I really liked this book, and it's counterparts. This one has all the related books in the "users also bought section"

Reef Fish Identification - Florida Caribbean Bahamas - 4th Edition (Reef Set) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1878348574/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_gkowxbSEPQ258

It's got full color pictures of fish, and a bit of information on them. It's also easy to search for what you saw, and if you want more info, it can give you a name to Wikipedia.

There are two books I highly recommend to you. The first being The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing by Kirk Deeter and Charlie Myers. I keep it in my tackle box. This book was invaluable to my self development as a fly thrower.

Next I recommend Colorado's Best Fly Fishing. This book gives you need to know information on the most popular places to catch fish. It might not have the hidden and secret spots but it has gotten me to places with some great trout.

With that said, the only time I ever caught fish on Clear Creek was when I was 12 using a gold blue fox lure in September along I-70 just south of Idaho Springs. That doesn't mean they aren't there, I just haven't tried on a fly.

I haven't read any research on this but you might want to look at this book: https://www.amazon.com/Fish-Feel-Pain-Victoria-Braithwaite/dp/0199551200 I can't imagine how one could recreationally fish with the knowledge that fish are sentient. I'd say that animals being hunted suffer less than fish being caught recreationally, but that's just an intuitive guess.

Fish farming in general is much worse than animal farming in consequentialist terms: http://reducing-suffering.org/how-much-direct-suffering-is-caused-by-various-animal-foods/

However, the long run impact of wild caught fishing is varied and unclear: http://reducing-suffering.org/wild-caught-fishing-affects-wild-animal-suffering/

Poor fish.. Please educate yourselves about fish sentience and sensory systems. A great resource on the topic: https://www.amazon.com/What-Fish-Knows-Underwater-Cousins/dp/0374288216 A free read to start getting to know our scaly fellow earthlings: https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/fish/fish-feel-pain/

Yup, this is a Plainfin Midshipman. They're pretty neat little critters.

Don't shoot things you can't positively ID. I'd suggest picking up a book like this and going over it until you can ID most of what you see on a normal day out.

http://www.amazon.com/River-Monsters-True-Stories-Didnt/dp/B0057D8RQO/

Here it is I think: http://www.amazon.com/Fish-Strangest-Things-Leonora-Hornblow/dp/0394800621/ref=tmm_hrd_img_popover

https://www.amazon.com/Reef-Fish-Identification-Florida-Caribbean/dp/1878348574/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1550494892&sr=8-2&keywords=caribbean+reef+fish+book

​

It's a lot more fun if you do it yourself, and you learn more.

This is an awesome east/gulf coast fish if book

A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes: From Maine to Texas https://www.amazon.com/dp/0801898382/

//This is a summation of several months of recent reading...it sounds like a lot, but it isn't as much as it sounds like.

Just finished reading The Phantom Toolbooth to my 5-year old for the 3rd time (first time was more to $spouse when the kid was still nursing, but I'm counting it anyway). It's an awesome book to read when you are a kid, and doubly-awesome to read aloud to a kid.

For me, I recently finished The Founding Fish by John McPhee (one of my favorite writers).

I just started reading Rust: The Longest War which seems good so far (similar in style to McPhee).

I've also recently read:

• Flagship by Issac Hooke,
  
• Outsystem by M. D. Cooper,
  
• Nightblade by Ryan Kirk,
  
• The Shadow Order by Michael Robertson
  
• Columbus Day by Craig Alanson
  
  All as part of some sort of Amazon Prime Kindle deal. I can't really recommend any of them. The first two are formulaic in the extreme, and because everyone is the best supersoldier/pilot/captain/hacker ever, and there's no question they will "win," and I just didn't care. I couldn't finish the 3rd, although it wasn't bad; I just wanted to read something else. I honestly can't remember anything about the 4th, it was that bad. The last one (Columbus Day) didn't suck.
  
  Also from Amazon:
  
  
• Red Hope by John Dreese, which so far is like a not-as-good version of The Martian by Andy Weir (I DO recommend The Martian, but think it is one of the very rare cases where the movie is better than the original source material).
  
• Meta by Tom Reynolds was decent.
  
  Most of the Amazon Prime Kindle selections are the first of a series, and while I like a good series as much as the next guy, I'm not going to bother with any of them, except for Columbus Day and Meta. Maybe.
  
  I mistakenly read Echopraxia for the second time, but it's good enough that I didn't mind. It has some pretty creepy parts, but I like what I've read of Peter Watts so far, and it's a fairly deep book in parts, so a second read wasn't a waste.
  
  The local library has some Terry Prattchet as a digital loan, so I read one or two Discworld books too.
  
  Anyone have any suggestions for a good biography of Eisenhower?

I have Trout and Their Food by Dave Whitlock and Colorado's Best Fly Fishing by Landon Mayer. Both books are nearly brand new. I received a duplicate as a gift and I re-bought the Whitlock book at last year's Fly Fishing Show in Winston-Salem to have Dave sign a copy.

I'm looking to trade pretty much anything fly fishing related--tying materials or tools, other books, etc.

Thanks for lookin'!