Fishing in Bermuda Hardcover – January 1, 2003

I bought 1 and it got roughed up from usage, so I've bought my second

What a great volume! Fishing in Bermuda by Graham Faiella is well rendered, offering solid information , both historical and current, about Bermuda's marine environment, commercial and recreational fishing, tackle and methods, ecology, conservation and fisheries management .... Graham covers in detail the restricted fishing areas and protected reef preserves, and includes some nicely detailed maps as illustrations. The book is littered with "fishermans' catch photos, both coloured and black and white. For fish geek like myself, the species descriptions always hold special interest, and there is some direct and concise information here about inshore, reef, and offshore fish; including common name details, physiological descriptions, basic behaviors, feeding habits and prey. I was keenly curious about the section called "Fishes from around Bermuda" - a gallery of original watercolour paintings by Kat Cruickshank... Like a youngster at Christmas, savoring the anticipation, I skipped around the book's other parts, briefly reading and perusing here and there, then settled into the collection of illustrations that Kat had added to the effort. Turning each coloured plate slowly and carefully, my eyes drank in every detail, lest I miss out on something. Wow... Being a past fisheries student, I can attest that good illustrations and descriptions of fish species, whether in an identification key, or a sporting volume are hard to come by, and always a pleasure to find. Kat's watercolour illustrations are as well done as one might ever hope to find. Ms. Cruickshank has clearly been able to direct her watercolours to do wonderful things, and present us with fish images that are tight, detailed and accurate in form and proportion. The subtle nuances of her watercolours give us the illusions of dimension, depth, and at times, even life. I would have no hesitation whatsoever considering these illustrations a believable reference, and if I were ever to meet any of these species in person, Kat's work would prove to be an excellent primer to their identification. This book would be an excellent addition to anyones collection, for both the illustrations and the text..... And very reasonably priced, too!!!