THE ANGLER’S LIBRARY: FRESHWATER FISHES OF SOUTHERN AFRICA

When the first issue of this authoritative publication appeared in 1993, as editor of the  Hengel/Angling magazine I attended the launch function of the Guide in the Pretoria Museum and had the opportunity to talk to Prof Skelton.

What he said those many years ago is just as true today: “You can’t just go out and look at fishes as you can with mammals and birds, so most South Africans know very little about our freshwater fishes, “he said. “Most people know that there are plenty of fishes in our rivers, but,” he pointed out, “many would be able to identify only about twenty species because they have no detailed knowledge about what they are looking at.” 

With the publication of this, the third edition, this problem has been largely solved for the younger generation, although there are still certain fish that need to be researched and described. In the guide, these fish are marked with the symbol ‘sp.’

More than 300 freshwater fish species found in southern Africa’s rivers, lakes and dams feature in this fully revised third edition of ‘Freshwater Fishes of Southern Africa’. Of particular interest to anglers is the inclusion of the popular angling fish, the moggel.

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, the anatomy, biology and ecology of fishes, the impacts of humans on fishes, conservation status and a new understanding of evolutionary relationships between different fish groups.

The Guide 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 including full-colour illustrations and up-to-date distribution maps for each species.

 A comprehensive section also includes fishes that inhabit inshore coastal areas and estuaries that makes it valuable for coastal anglers as well.

It is certainly an invaluable tool for anglers, students, academics in the field and conservationists.

 Emeritus Professor Paul H. Skelton has focused on freshwater fishes all his professional life. He began his career at the Albany Museum in Makhanda (Grahamstown) as curator of lower vertebrates. In 1984, he joined the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (formerly the JLB Smith Institute of Ichthyology) as curator of freshwater fishes. He was appointed director of the institute in 1995, a position he held until his retirement in 2011. He has received several awards for his contribution to the field and has served on the IUCN Freshwater Specialist Group.

The latest digital edition of THE BANK ANGLER / DIE OEWERHENGELAAR is now available!