Marine Fish of the Channel Islands

Marine Fish of the Channel Islands

By Alex Plaster and Paul Chambers

Situated on the southern edge of the British Isles, the Channel Islands have a diverse range of fish species, many of which are rare or absent from UK waters.  This includes sharks that can reach several metres in length through to gobies of just a few centimetres.  There are the fish that we can catch and eat regularly, such as mackerel, plaice and seabream, but also bizarre and unexpected species that have strayed into local waters on a handful of occasions such as the Deep-sea Angler, Flying Fish and Bramble Shark.

This book covers all the marine fish species recorded from Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm and the other islets and reefs that collectively form the Channel Islands.  The authors have combed historical archives, contemporary reports and scientific records to produce a list of 216 fish species that have had at least one report from the Channel Islands.

Each fish has a separate illustrated entry which covers its biology, history, distribution, behaviour and ecology.  Unexpected events and anecdotes relating to local fishing culture are included as is information on population trends and abundance.  For those fish that are most popular with recreational anglers, capture techniques and bait preferences are given.  All this is accompanied by several hundred colour illustrations, maps and photographs.

Written with the naturalist, angler and ichthyologist in mind, this book puts a perspective on the scope and status of the fish species that live in one of Europe's most important but fragile regional maritime regions.