Australia is blessed with an abundance of fishes. More than 5,000 species of fish are found Down Under – around 15% of the known species – making Australia one of the best places in the world to see fishes, and lots of them. But where are the best spots to see a diverse range of fishes around Australia? This book is the first guide to fishwatching in Australia. Now fishwatching may be a new term for most people, but just like birdwatching it best describes what divers, snorkellers and naturalists do when they study, observe and document fishes. This book is designed especially for the fishwatcher. It is not a fish identification guide or a dive site guide, instead a sort of blending of the two – a guide to the best spots to observe sea fishes in Australia. Each of the one hundred hot-spots listed is home to a diverse range of fishes, and for each location a sample of typical fish species and families are described. However, most of these hot-spots have been selected because they are also the best place to observe unusual fishes. Throughout the pages of this book the reader will learn about the wonderful fishes of Australia, the best places to see them, how to find them and how to get close enough to observe and photograph them.
