News
Book Review: Freshwater Fishes of Britain
The Author
Jack Perks
Review by Nick and Caroline Robertson-Brown
Whilst it may seem a strange book to be reviewing in the photography section of Scubaverse, underwater photography in freshwater lakes, rivers and streams, has become far more popular than it was in the last few years. The publication of this book, along with the work that Paul Colley has been doing with his remotely fired underwater cameras, has certainly made a few people pay attention to the wildlife that lives in our freshwater habitats.
The book is very reasonably priced at £16.99 and its finish and presentation is what you would expect in a book published by Reed New Holland. The book is full of great images that must have taken time and dedication to capture, as there are some 56 species covered in these pages. The content of the book is made up with a dedication, a forward, an introduction and a short guide to fish twitching. Most of the fish that you are likely to see in UK waters are covered, including a few oddities and variants, which Jack talks about towards the end of the book. Jack also talked about fish conservation and how most of our rivers are in very poor condition with only 17% of them classified as being in good health. Pollution is a major threat to fish, and this includes the oils and toxins that are washed off the road, the pesticides and herbicides that are leached into the rivers off agricultural land and micro-plastics and contraceptives flushed into the water supply which alters the biology of the fish. He also talks about invasive species, such as Signal Crayfish, which devour the eggs and fry of our native fish.
The book is well-written and all species are illustrated with at least one photograph and includes a brief description of the species, including details of the main distinguishing features habitat and breeding habits. The book is also littered with interesting facts about many of the individual species, such as why the Tench is sometimes called the doctor fish.
The book is an easy read by a wildlife photographer who has written and photographically illustrated dozens of articles for magazines such as BBC wildlife. He is a lecturer at Nottingham University for the MSc biological photography and image course so you can assume the knowledge he is passing on to the readers is well researched. I come for one, really enjoyed reading this book and it has inspired me to get my underwater photography gear into some freshwater streams.
Freshwater Fishes of Britain by Jack Perks is published by Reed New Holland at £16.99, hardback, and available from all good bookshops, Amazon or call 01206-255777.
News
Dive Worldwide Announces Bite-Back as its Charity of the Year
Over the next 12 months, specialist scuba holiday company Dive Worldwide will be supporting Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation with donations collected from client bookings to any one of its stunning dive destinations around the world. The independently-owned operator expects to raise £3000 for the UK charity.
Manager at Dive Worldwide, Phil North, said: “We’re especially excited to work with Bite-Back and support its intelligent, creative and results-driven campaigns to end the UK trade in shark products and prompt a change in attitudes to the ocean’s most maligned inhabitant.”
Bite-Back is running campaigns to hold the media to account on the way it reports shark news along with a brand new nationwide education programme. Last year the charity was credited for spearheading a UK ban on the import and export of shark fins.
Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’re enormously grateful to Dive Worldwide for choosing to support Bite-Back. The company’s commitment to conservation helps set it apart from other tour operators and we’re certain its clients admire and respect that policy. For us, the affiliation is huge and helps us look to the future with confidence we can deliver against key conservation programmes.”
To launch the fundraising initiative, Phil North presented Graham Buckingham with a cheque for £1,000.
Visit Dive Worldwide to discover its diverse range of international scuba adventures and visit Bite-Back to learn more about the charity’s campaigns.
MORE INFORMATION
Call Graham Buckingham on 07810 454 266 or email graham@bite-back.com
Gear News
Scubapro Free Octopus Promotion 2024
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
MK25 EVO Din mit S620Ti-X
Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
More information available on www.scubapro.com.
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