Fishes of the Pacific Coast: Alaska to Peru, Including the Gulf of California and the Galapagos Islands (Paperback)

by Gar Goodson (Author) "The sea basses and groupers of the Pacific Coast (family Serranidae) are mostly tropical fishes ranging in size from the awesome giant jewfish approaching 8..." (more)
Key Phrases: bay blenny, third dorsal spine, pectoral wings, Gulf of California, Baja California, Galapagos Islands (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“These attractive, pocket-sized guides for fish watchers have been carefully written by Goodson and profusely illustrated in striking water colors by Phillip Weisgerber. Although designed for divers, fishers, aquarists and other nonprofessionals, these little books will undoubtedly find their way on to the shelves of many ichthyologists who will value them as quick references and for providing life-like, color renditions of many fish species found in American coastal waters.”—Copeia

“Goodson’s guidebook is designed for the fishwatcher—whether skin or scuba diver, fisherman, aquarist, schoolchild or casual tourist exploring the shore—who seeks to know more about our marine life.”—Palos Verdes Peninsula News

“This is a very detailed guide if you are into fish watching. 507 fish are illustrated wonderfully in full color.”—California Diving News

From the Back Cover

“These attractive, pocket-sized guides for fish watchers have been carefully written by Goodson and profusely illustrated in striking water colors by Phillip Weisgerber. Although designed for divers, fishers, aquarists and other nonprofessionals, these little books will undoubtedly find their way on to the shelves of many ichthyologists who will value them as quick references and for providing life-like, color renditions of many fish species found in American coastal waters.”—Copeia
“Goodson’s guidebook is designed for the fishwatcher—whether skin or scuba diver, fisherman, aquarist, schoolchild or casual tourist exploring the shore—who seeks to know more about our marine life.”—Palos Verdes Peninsula News

Product Details

• Paperback: 267 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (April 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804713855
• ISBN-13: 978-0804713856
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #133,605 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #10 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Field Guides > Fish
  #30 in	Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Ichthyology
  #54 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Fauna > Fish & Sharks

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent handbook for identifying fishes of the Pacific., May 5, 1998

By	[e-mail] (US) - See all my reviews

As a volunteer for the new Long Beach (CA) Aquarium of the Pacific, I needed to quickly learn about fishes of the Pacific coast and how to identify them. This book exactly suits my needs. It is interesting and informative, without being too technical. The color illustrations are beautiful. This is the perfect book for anyone who wants to learn more about Pacific coast fishes.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Very Favorite Fish Book, November 9, 2003

By	Thomas L. Ogren (San Luis Obispo, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I do a lot of fishing and own quite a few books on fish. I also keep a life-time fish list, a list of every species of fish I have ever caught that I was able to correctly ID. I have found Fishes of the Pacific Coast by Gar Goodson in particular to be very useful for ID purposes, but I also find it to be very good writing, highly interesting, and full of information that most other fish ID books usually lack. For example, he tells you here if a fish is considered good eating, or not. He tells you where they are found, in how deep of water, locals, tidbits of history about the fish, and also what they eat.
I recently bought two new books on fish, one about fish of the Gulf of Mexico and another on fish of the Atlantic Ocean and looking them over I kept finding things missing; I suddenly realized how much better this book of Goodson's is.
The many illustrations by the artist Phillip J. Weisgerber are all excellent and every single one of them is in color. I am a writer myself, author of some 5 published books now,... and I appreciate books that are put together with care, appreciate writing that is fun and interesting and highly informative. Fishes of the Pacific Coast is an inexpensive book and a darn good one. If you fish in the Pacific you'll want to own this book and will find that having it, and bringing it along on fishing trips will add a great deal to your pleasure. Also, I would certainly recommend this book as a present for anyone who is interested in nature,in fish, in fishing. A marvelous book and one of my favorites for sure!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fishes of the Pacific Coast by Gar Goodson, August 9, 2001

By	John S Laine (APO AE Germany) - See all my reviews

Fishes of the Pacific Coast is an excellent reference guide with beautiful full color illustrations of approximately 450 fish. I truly appreciated the inclusion of the fish of the upper Sea of Cortez. Small ecological and historical blurbs are fascinating. The handbook size makes it a must have on your diving or fishing boat.