Top 15 Books About Fish Updated 04 /2024

There was a long march to the library every week in 1st grade. We went to check out a book. To pass the time for a few days, I checked out a book about how to tell fish apart. I didn't know at the time that it would be the start of my journey to becoming a fisheries scientist. I can still smell the glue that has dried on the new bindings. There were vivid pictures of fish from the Pacific Ocean and their common names, some of which I could read. There were also their latin names, which I could not read. To my mother, I was always up late for a first-grader. I was afraid the librarian would not let me extend the check-out time on a book that I had been reading for so long.

As my life went on and I became a fisheries scientist, I became more and more interested in books about fish that also had a good story.

They are a collection of fish stories that we at The Fisheries Blog have found to be very interesting and motivating to read. These books all have one thing in common: the ability to make characters out of fish, nature, life, and the human journey.

A River Runs Through It – Norman Maclean

People who live in Montana, where the Big Blackfoot River is, make the story of Maclean's father and brother look very pretty. When Maclean talks about water, rocks, and fly casting, short story fans will enjoy it.

When everything comes together, a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood, and it runs over rocks that have been there for eons. On some of those rocks, there are raindrops that have been there for a very long time. Some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by the water.

The River Why – David James Duncan

A man leaves the city of Portland, Oregon, and moves to a cabin on the coast where he can eat, sleep, and fish. Until he meets a salmon. The book then talks about how humans have an effect on the environment and how people want more in life than just a place to go.

"That's the thing about nature: make one bad rule to describe it, and it'll go against you even if it has to change, change, change, and even bust its ass to do it." and what? If anyone became smart enough to understand the real, immutable laws of nature, nature would only strike them dead before anyone else could understand them.

The River Why – David James Duncan

People often ask why they want to fish. This book talks about predator versus prey and captor versus captive in a way that no other book in history has done before. With modern fishing gear, it's not easy to catch a huge marlin. Using the simple tools used by the main character in the book, one can truly understand the battle and struggle that took place both on the ground and in the minds of the people who were being fought.

 

"You didn't kill the fish just to keep it alive and sell it for food, he thought." Your pride and being a fisherman made you kill him. It didn't matter if he was alive or dead. You still loved him. If you love him, killing him isn't a sin. Or is there more?

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish – Dr. Seuss

Look, a book, but there's no Snook. People who work in fisheries and people who fish have been inspired by this book from a very young age. It's also possible that this is the simplest book on how to tell the difference between fish species and how to count fish populations. What else can be learned about fisheries?

There are one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. Fish that are black and blue, old and fresh.

Swimmy – Leo Lionni

This is a great book for kids to read about sea creatures and how fish act. Almost like the book by Dr. Seuss above, this one makes children want to learn more about the sea.

His eyes were opened wide when he saw a medusa made from rainbow jelly. A lobster that walked around like a machine that moves water was found. Strange fish are being pulled by a thread that isn't there. A forest of seaweeds grows on sugar-candy rocks, and it looks like a forest. An eel with a tail that was almost too far away to remember. These plants looked like pink palm trees moving in the wind.

The Founding Fish – John McPhee

Many people don't know that the American Shad played a big part in the early development of the United States. McPhee does a great job of telling their history and showing how important it is to keep these fish around for future generations.

I was wearing neoprene stocking waders and L.L. Bean felt-soled boots and an Orvis vest with the Delaware River Shad Fishermen's Association's orange and green emblem on it." As these scientists caught shad on the ledge in their blue jeans, I looked like a lost astronaut.

Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World – Mark Kurlansky

War, revolutions, national diets, and economies have all depended on cod. Kurlansky talks about how cod has played a role in all of these things over the years. To the millions of people it has helped, it has been more valuable than gold.

A more adaptable species will take their place if cod and haddock and other species can't live because people kill them off. Nature, the ultimate pragmatist, is always looking for something that works. We don't always want to do things that are good for the environment, like the cockroach shows.

Your Inner Fish – Neil Shubin

A true clade is one that includes all fish, but humans must also be included in the group. Shubin looks at how fish evolved, and he shows that Sarcopterygii and all tetrapods (mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and so on) are closer to fish than most people think.

There have been fish, then amphibians, and then reptiles for hundreds of millions of years. The basic skeleton of our hands and feet evolved over time.

The Compleat Angler – Izaak Walton

To teach a hunter (Venator) and a falconer (Auceps) how to fish, Walton speaks in the voice of a fisherman. The book comes with poems and recipes, giving the reader a unique look at fishing in the 17th century. Further, it talks about life and how nature can bring people happiness that is more important than money.

What a life the brave fisherman has! It's the best one out there. It's full of fun, there's no stress, and people love it. A lawful thing is better than other things because our skill doesn't make us sick, but it makes us happy and content.

Salmon Without Rivers – Jim Lichatowich

Salmon are anadromous, which means they need both fresh and salt water. Salmon are having a hard time getting to rivers because of logging and human development, as well as because of dams that have broken up the rivers. Lichatowich is very good at describing how we have tried to get salmon back, and he shows us how we have failed.

Because we didn't even try to understand natural processes, we thought we could control the biological productivity of salmon and "improve" them. We thought salmon could live without rivers.

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