Editors: Last, P.R. and Stevens, J.D.
CSIRO Publishing
ISBN/EAN: 9780643094574
AU$120.00
The first edition of Sharks and Rays of Australia set a new benchmark for chondrichthyan reference books when it was published in 1994 and consequently sold out within a few years. With second hand copies reportedly changing hands for many hundreds of dollars, the second edition has been keenly anticipated by scientists, students, fishery managers, fishers and amateur ichthyologists around Australia and internationally. Over the last 15 years, increased demand for shark and ray products, particularly their fins, and a wider appreciation of these species’ susceptibility to anthropogenic pressures have encouraged a surge of research into Australia’s diverse cartilaginous fish fauna. It is therefore a huge credit to the authors that the resulting plethora of new scientific information has been thoroughly summarised in this new edition of their seminal book. The fully updated second edition of Sharks and Rays of Australia provides the most comprehensive description of Australia’s chondrichthyan fishes available today, in which 26 newly described species are recognised and the many significant taxonomic revisions that have occurred since 1994 are incorporated. These include formal classification of 97 species that were temporarily named in the first edition and revisions of many other species names. Resolution of these previously problematic taxonomic issues will be essential for identifying existing and future threats to individual species and for developing effective conservation and management solutions to them.
The format of the new edition has benefited from some nice cosmetic changes, including much greater use of Roger Swainston’s exceptional colour illustrations and modernised page layouts. However, it essentially retains the same clear and intuitive identification guide style as its predecessor. The introduction and illustrated glossary, which provide ample context for readers without detailed ichthyological knowledge, are followed by an identification key to families of Australian chondrichthyans, so that those wishing to identify a particular fish can be directed to the appropriate chapter without having to flick through all 644 pages. Each of the subsequent chapters is then introduced by a brief overview of the family described therein and a species-level identification key referencing the required pages within the chapter. One of the most helpful identification aids, particularly for use in the field, is Swainston’s technically accurate yet artistically stunning composite illustrations. Based on personal experience, these provide a far more realistic representation of identifying features, living colours and individuals’ morphological variation than even the best photograph. Additional line drawings have also been included within species descriptions, identification keys and the glossary to further help in describing important and distinctive characteristics.
Individual species treatments include a considerable amount of important new information about life history, ecology, global and regional distributions, as well as what is known about recent trends in population status and relevance to domestic and international fisheries. A great strength of both editions of Sharks and Rays is that relevant information has not only been drawn from the mainstream published literature but has also been judiciously gleaned from more obscure or yet unpublished sources. The inclusion of such information lends the text a degree of contemporary authenticity that would otherwise have been hard to achieve. The authors’ painstaking search for these unpublished and hard to obtain data is evidenced by the voluminous list of acknowledgements at the beginning of the book, which also reflects the extremely high regard in which Sharks and Rays is held by contributing scientists from around the world.
The final result is, as the first edition was at the time, one of the most authoritative books on cartilaginous fish ever produced. As the threats facing the world’s chondrichthyan populations are now better understood and generally more severe than they were fifteen years ago, the second edition of Sharks and Rays of Australia is essential reading for anyone with an interest in research, conservation and management of cartilaginous fish. However, if the success of the first edition is any measure of the new book’s appeal, you had better secure a copy soon or risk having to part with several times the cover price for a second hand copy.
Reviewed by Rory McAuley, Department of Fisheries, Western Australia