Marine life guides/apps

[LACounty4806]

While I have the Love guide and really enjoy it, it can be a a bit long at over 600 pages and is physically just a big book. For a more concise read that is designed to go in the field, I really like:

A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes: From Alaska to California
by Valerie A. Kells, Luiz A. Rocha, Larry G. Allen

Val is one of the best marine illustrators anywhere while the science is provided 2 top California ichthyologists, Larry Allen of CSUN and Luiz Rocha of the California Science Center.


Underwater California by Wheeler J. North, while a bit dated, is still an excellent overview of the California ecosystem. Out of print and originally published by the UC Press, used copies can be picked up cheap online and really are great to have. The illustrations featured in them are still used by the the Cal Department of Fish and Wildlife for taxonomy purposes. It's actually my favorite book on California marine life and I have used it in classes as a textbook.

Lots to choose from. I'd get a couple and build up a reference library.

As for a phone app, I use the Ocean Life ID app, available for both apple and android. It's more taxonomy based and not California specific but it is pretty good and fairly intuitive to use.

 

[covediver]

I have the Wheeler North book on my shelf. I think it was the first guide. As I ranged further south and north over the years I added Fishes of the Pacific Coast from Alaska to Peru

Fishes of the Pacific Coast: From Alaska to Peru