Needed: Comprehensive Caribbean fish guide

[Tennessee Slim]

After a few months living on Curacao, and I’m feeling pretty ignernt that I still can identify so few native fish. That being the case, I’d like your recommendations for a reallycomprehensive guide to identifying fish of the Caribbean.

TIA!

[drbill]

Have you looked at the Paul Humann reef guides for the region? I also use Randall's Caribbean Reef Fishes when I'm working on video from that region.

[Walter]

I've yet to see a comprehensive guide, but Humann's Reef Fish Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas is excellent.

[DeputyDan]

The one referred to above is the one i use also.

Santa brought it a couple of years ago!

[Tennessee Slim]

Have you looked at the Paul Humann reef guides for the region? I also use Randall's Caribbean Reef Fishes when I'm working on video from that region.
Rats! It's out of stock at Barnes and Noble. Maybe I'll break down and buy elsewhere.

[scubadale]

Don't know your definition of "so few" fish is but there is a new reef fish id course that teaches the top 50 species of the Caribbean. This should be available anywhere the Paul Humann/Ned Deloach Id books are sold and from the reef environmental education foundation - Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) | Diving That Counts (http://www.reef.org). Let me know if you are unable to find we do have them available.

[Ber Rabbit]

Add one more vote for Paul Humann's books!
Ber :lilbunny:

[drbill]

I find that no single book ever covers one region adequately. I use quite a number of them for the marine life here in southern California (including a number which are more in the realm of scientific and professional publications). Even my former colleague Dr. Milton Love's pretty comprehensive Probably More Than You Want to Know About the Fishes of the Pacific Coast has some glaring omissions (at least from my perspective).

[Tennessee Slim]

I find that no single book ever covers one region adequately. I use quite a number of them for the marine life here in southern California (including a number which are more in the realm of scientific and professional publications). Even my former colleague Dr. Milton Love's pretty comprehensive Probably More Than You Want to Know About the Fishes of the Pacific Coast has some glaring omissions (at least from my perspective).
I've used both the Randall book and the Humann/Deloach book on the Caribbean and I've found fish I couldn't locate in either of them. I was hoping there was some third alternative that might be closer to all-encompassing. At this point I'm resigned to just buying the both of them and living with the shortcomings. LeisurePro has a good price on the Humann set and I'm still looking for a source for the Randall book.


Don't know your definition of "so few" fish is but there is a new reef fish id course that teaches the top 50 species of the Caribbean. This should be available anywhere the Paul Humann/Ned Deloach Id books are sold and from the reef environmental education foundation - Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) | Diving That Counts (http://www.reef.org). Let me know if you are unable to find we do have them available.
I've lived here long enough I know the personalities in the dive shops I frequent pretty well. None of them have bowled me over with their fish knowledge. I know PADI has a fish ID course, and I might take it yet, but as much as I'm diving I think a decent set of books and a touch of self-reliance is my best option.

[Walter]

I think a decent set of books and a touch of self-reliance is my best option.

I suspect you are correct. You might supplement with the Audubon and Peterson Field Guides.

[Charlie99]

I've used both the Randall book and the Humann/Deloach book on the Caribbean and I've found fish I couldn't locate in either of them. I was hoping there was some third alternative that might be closer to all-encompassing. The Humann books are good, but they don't always have pictures of juveniles. There's a pretty good chance that mayh of the fish you can't locate are in the book, but for the mature fish.

[Tennessee Slim]

Oops…I gotta take a Mulligan. It struck me yesterday afternoon that I was overlooking Mark at The Dive Bus. He’s quite passionate about his reef en toto (In fact, that’s a sort of hallmark of all the people associated with The Dive Bus). And I get the feeling he doesn’t just know the taxonomical name of all the fish on his reef, he knows most of their given names, too (Gladys, Dirwood, Shlomo, etc.). Plus he knows where they work, what they do for a hobby, who’s zoomin’ who, …that sort of thing. :)

So I dropped in on him after work to talk about it. He’s recommending I take their Naturalist course and I think I’ll do that very thing, once we can resolve some scheduling problems. Given that he's also very attuned to marine critter behavior, I'd say this also will be a much-needed shove in the right direction for both fish ID and a better understanding of animal interaction on the reef.

[Tennessee Slim]

So I bought the fish/coral/creatures Humann/Deloach book set from LeisurePro, and got reef fish behavior while I was at it. And as much as I dislike buying from them, I found a "good condition" copy of Randall's Reef Fish of the Caribbean at Amazon and bought it, too (hadn't picked up that it was out of print).

Now all I need to do is laminate 'em and I'm all set. :dork:

[pir8]

I have the full set of Humann/Deloach, ya know Fish, Coral & Creature. I think Creature is my favorite.

[jaybombs25]

Hands down the most comprehensive field guide for fish is the Reef fish ID - Florida, Caribbean and Bahamas 4th Edition Interactive Edition... Just released one or two weeks ago. Available from ReefNet Inc. | Solving problems with deep thinking (http://www.reefnet.ca) ... You will not find a more comprehensive guide for fish in the Caribbean region. I got my copy as soon as it was released (because I was a contributing photographer) outshines the book editions by far.

[Tennessee Slim]

Hands down the most comprehensive field guide for fish is the Reef fish ID - Florida, Caribbean and Bahamas 4th Edition Interactive Edition... Just released one or two weeks ago. Available from ReefNet Inc. | Solving problems with deep thinking (http://www.reefnet.ca) ... You will not find a more comprehensive guide for fish in the Caribbean region. I got my copy as soon as it was released (because I was a contributing photographer) outshines the book editions by far.
DEWD! Where were you a week ago??? My Humann/Deloach set arrived today. :(

[Tennessee Slim]

My copy of the Randall book arrived today. Fist, I have to say I can barely tell if from new (printed 1999). Apart from the personalized Christmas message written inside the front leaf, I can’t tell it didn’t just fall off the shelf at Barnes and Noble. I’m no longer comfy buying through Amazon but this time the transaction ended extremely well.

Then there’s the book. I thought I had handled a copy of this before but now I’m not so sure. It is much more informative, more thorough, than any other Caribbean fish book I can remember picking up. I’ve only browsed it for maybe 30 minutes and already I’ve answered about half a dozen lingering “identity” questions.

I’m stoked. Thanks, all, for your advice. I can’t wait to start correlating identities with actions in ‘Fish Behavior”.