Book Talk: Fishes of the Strait of Georgia

This ambitious work from two distinguished local biologists surveys a marvellously diverse but vulnerable underwater realm alive with surprising species.Nearly three out of every four British Columbians live near the Strait of Georgia. Yet, because human beings are typically good at tuning out the familiar, we often neglect this rich body of water, allowing it to fade into the background. And that is doubly true for the world hidden under the waves—a world that teems with astonishing creatures beyond our notice, even our imaginations, as we jog along its edge or glide over it, dozing on a ferry commute. Marine scientists Dick Beamish and Jeff Marliave aim to restore our awareness with their expansive and highly readable reference book on the huge array of fish living in the Strait of Georgia—in some cases, ever since the retreat of the last ice age. Here, in entries sure to engage both experts and amateurs, the authors provide fascinating “biographies” of some 243 species, ranging from the flounder—a relatively new work of evolution—to the lamprey, a staggeringly ancient life form with a 360-million-year back story that begins long before the dinosaurs. 

As the pressures of overfishing and climate change grow, knowledge of this delicate ecosystem becomes ever more important, not only to scientists but also to policymakers and to all of us who live along its shores. Sweeping and yet wholly accessible, Fishes of the Strait of Georgia is an essential volume for homes, boats and backpacks, sure to open eyes to the wonders just beyond the waterline and to our deep responsibility for their care.