Wade Doak introduces fourteen reef fish commonly found in the waters around New Zealand. Through stunning photographs and imaginative text, the fish tell their own stories and explain what makes them so special and how they live in a complex community. An introductory section tells of the unique ways fish survive in their watery world. Wade Doak is a well-known author of many books about the sea and marine life. An experienced undersea explorer he lives in Northland, New Zealand.
He writes: “All my life I've wanted to be a fish-or a dolphin! So, when I was twelve I began skin diving. In those days we had to make own diving gear. At high school I even made my own diving suit and scuba regulator. I have since spent 45 years of my life learning about the undersea world.
I've explored coral reefs and wrecks and even discovered sunken treasure! However, these days it's the world of fish that makes me want to go diving. Every time I visit their city under the sea they teach me something new and exciting. For me, it's like visiting another planet.
Forever so long fish have been thought of as just food on a plate - like mutton or beef. People are now realising that fish lead interesting lives and that their shapes and colours aren't accidental. Their amazing patterns all perform some job to help these sea creatures survive. People are starting to understand that every kind of fish has its own place in the ocean world and its own valuable part to play. Divers are seeing how the lives of fish are all woven together in a complicated pattern like the people in a big city. The wider the variety of fish and the more varied their ways of living, the safer the balance for survival is from being upset.
Fish were the first animals to have backbones like ours. In many ways, if you study fish you'll come to understand more about human living patterns. We developed from fish!
But there's urgency in my story too. Many reef fishes, the non-schooling ones, have such good systems of protection few ever used to get killed once they got past the baby stage. So to keep their population in balance they only have a small number of young. Humans with hooks, nets and spears are the first serious predator some fishes have ever known. Fish are unable to change their biology quickly enough to meet this new challenge and, in many places, they are getting wiped out. 1 hope people will realise the situation and give endangered reef fishes the same protection that we give native birds. It's more fun to watch fish than to kill them - you can only kill a fish once but you can enjoy watching one for years . In a few places where fish are no longer speared or molested they have become so friendly towards people that they will follow divers around all the time and even let them stroke their silky bodies with their hands. Of all wild animals fish are the easiest to get to know. We could be such good friends!”
He writes: “All my life I've wanted to be a fish-or a dolphin! So, when I was twelve I began skin diving. In those days we had to make own diving gear. At high school I even made my own diving suit and scuba regulator. I have since spent 45 years of my life learning about the undersea world.
I've explored coral reefs and wrecks and even discovered sunken treasure! However, these days it's the world of fish that makes me want to go diving. Every time I visit their city under the sea they teach me something new and exciting. For me, it's like visiting another planet.
Forever so long fish have been thought of as just food on a plate - like mutton or beef. People are now realising that fish lead interesting lives and that their shapes and colours aren't accidental. Their amazing patterns all perform some job to help these sea creatures survive. People are starting to understand that every kind of fish has its own place in the ocean world and its own valuable part to play. Divers are seeing how the lives of fish are all woven together in a complicated pattern like the people in a big city. The wider the variety of fish and the more varied their ways of living, the safer the balance for survival is from being upset.
Fish were the first animals to have backbones like ours. In many ways, if you study fish you'll come to understand more about human living patterns. We developed from fish!
But there's urgency in my story too. Many reef fishes, the non-schooling ones, have such good systems of protection few ever used to get killed once they got past the baby stage. So to keep their population in balance they only have a small number of young. Humans with hooks, nets and spears are the first serious predator some fishes have ever known. Fish are unable to change their biology quickly enough to meet this new challenge and, in many places, they are getting wiped out. 1 hope people will realise the situation and give endangered reef fishes the same protection that we give native birds. It's more fun to watch fish than to kill them - you can only kill a fish once but you can enjoy watching one for years . In a few places where fish are no longer speared or molested they have become so friendly towards people that they will follow divers around all the time and even let them stroke their silky bodies with their hands. Of all wild animals fish are the easiest to get to know. We could be such good friends!”
