With more than 29,000 species, fishes are the most diverse group of vertebrates on the planet. Of that number, more than 12,000 species are found in freshwater ecosystems, which occupy less than 1 percent of the Earth’s surface and contain only 2.4 percent of plant and animal species. But, on a hectare-for-hectare basis, freshwater ecosystems are richer in species than more extensive terrestrial and marine habitats. Examination of the distribution patterns of fishes in these fresh waters reveals much about continental movements and climate changes and has long been critical to biogeographical studies and research in ecology and evolution. Tim Berra’s seminal resource, Freshwater Fish Distribution,maps the 169 fish families that swim in fresh water around the world. Each family account includes the class, subclass, and order; a pronunciation guide to the family name; life cycle information; and interesting natural history facts. Each account is illustrated, many with historical nineteenth-century woodcuts. Now available in paperback, this heavily cited work in ichthyology and biogeography will serve as a reference for students, a research support for professors, and a helpful guide to tropical fish hobbyists and anglers.

Nearly a decade ago I began planning this book with the goal of summarizing the existing body of knowledge on ecology of freshwater fishes in a way similar to that of H. B. N. Hynes' comprehensive treatise Ecology of Running Waters for streams. The time seemed appropriate, as there had been several recent volumes that synthesized much information on a range of topics important in fish ecology, from biogeographic to local scales. For example, the "Fish Atlas" (Lee et aI. , 1980) had provided range maps and basic entry to the original literature for all freshwater fishes in North America, and in 1986 Hocutt and Wiley's Zoogeography of North American Fishes provided a detailed synthesis of virtually everything known about distributional ecology of fishes on that continent. Tim Berra (1981) had summarized in convenient map form the worldwide distribution of all freshwater fish families, and Joe Nelson's 1976 and 1984 editions of Fishes of the World had appeared. To complement these "big picture" views of fish distributions, the volume on Community and Evolutionary Ecology of North American Freshwater Fishes, edited by David Heins and myself (Matthews and Heins, 1987), had provided an opportunity for more than 30 individuals or groups to summarize their work on stream fishes (albeit mostly for warmwater systems).

A global assessment of the current state of freshwater fish biodiversity and the opportunities and challenges to conservation.

Well over 300 freshwater fish species found in the region’s rivers; lakes and dams feature in this fully revised third edition of Freshwater Fishes of Southern Africa. Updated and expanded; this definitive guide includes newly described species; the latest taxonomic changes; new photographs and illustrations; and updated distribution maps. An in-depth introduction; supported by explanatory illustrations and photographs; covers: A short history of fish science in the region. Ecoregions in which species occur. Anatomy; biology and ecology of fishes. Human impacts on fishes. Conservation status. New understanding of evolutionary relationships between different fish groups. The book also includes: Succinct descriptions of large taxonomic groups of fish; with global distribution charts. Detailed species accounts covering size; identification features; distribution; biology; ecology; conservation; and uses by humans. Full-colour illustrations and up-to-date distribution maps for each species. An invaluable tool for anglers; students and academics in the field; and conservationists. Sales points: Comprehensive guide to southern Africa’s freshwater fishes. Latest scientific information. Accurate and detailed full-colour illustrations. Highlights diagnostic features for easy identification.

The threat of deteriorating habitats and a loss of biodiversity make this reference work on the freshwater fishes of British Columbia more necessary than ever before. Eighty-one comprehensive species accounts aid accurate identification and consist of an illustration, the scientific and common names of the fish, its distinguishing characteristics, taxonomic comments, geographic distribution, a life-history summary, a habitat-use summary, and conservation comments. The book is a critical resource for biologists, naturalists, management and conservation officers, anglers, and members of the public who are concerned about our natural heritage.

These documents summarize some of the recent studies of the relationships among climate, the aquatic environment, and the dynamics of fish populations. The studies are mostly from the North Pacific ocean, but there are reports of investigations from the North Atlatic Ocean and from fresh water. Various papers include numerous examples of the relationships between fish abundance trends and the environment.

Recent studies have increasingly demonstrated the widespread existence of spatio-temporal variations in the abundance and distribution of species of freshwater fishes, previously assumed not to move between habitats. These movements are often on a seasonal or ontogenetic basis, for spawning, feeding and refuge, and in many cases are fundamental for the successful completion of lifecycles. This important book provides a single source for a range of previously widely dispersed information on these movements of fish in fresh waters, covering potamodromous fishes as well as the more familiar diadromous species, worldwide. Contents include full descriptions of types of migration and spatial behaviour, the stimulus and capacity for fish to migrate, the effects of climate on patterns of migratory behaviour, a taxonomic analysis (mostly by family) of freshwater fish migration, methods for studying migration, and details of the impacts of man's activities on freshwater fish migration. Migration of Freshwater Fishes provides an excellent and comprehensive reference to which the river manager, biologist or student can now refer to obtain information, advice and current opinion on the migratory behaviour of most taxonomic groups of fishes occurring in fresh water. University libraries and aquatic research stations should also have copies of this essential reference book on their shelves. Well-known international authors. Of great commercial importance to fisheries and professional angling bodies. Draws together much new information in one place. Detailed review of world wide migratory behaviour for most groups of freshwater fishes. Pure and applied relevance, for academics, fisheries scientists, river managers and conservationists. This comprehensive book includes 67 tables and figures and over 1,400 references.