Review by Booklist Review
Balcombe (The Exultant Ark, 2011) cites Finding Nemo several times in this sparkling exposition on our underwater cousins. That may seem odd in a science book, but it's entirely appropriate to its central thrust, which is that fish are sentient, social, and individuated, like their Disney-animated avatars. As humans' fellow vertebrates, they've developed from the same blueprint, so to speak, though for hundreds of millions of years longer time enough to hone the senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, orientation, touch, and more to be capable of the superhuman achievements Balcombe reports in the early parts of the book. The really big news here arrives in the central sections on emotions (From Stress to Joy); thinking (using tools, planning); knowledge (memory); and sociality (shoaling-schooling, cooperation, peacekeeping) in fish. Although a little of the research that discovered the gamut of fish capabilities hails from the early twentieth century, the preponderance of it is quite recent, reflecting, Balcombe concludes (in a compelling pitch for greatly expanding fish conservation), growing awareness of our i.e., human interdependence with all life. --Olson, Ray Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this entertaining study, ethologist Balcombe (The Exultant Ark) points out that fish are some 60% of all vertebrates on earth, yet they receive little regard outside of being a source of food or object of sport. With the vivacious energy of a cracking good storyteller, Balcombe draws deeply from scientific studies and his own experience with fish to introduce readers to them as sentient creatures that live full lives governed by cognition and perception. He illustrates a piscine capacity for joy and pleasure in the case of a Midas cichlid that returns again and again to a trusted human to be stroked and sometimes held out of the water. Balcombe cites instances of alteration in one fish's behavior when a traumatic event occurs to another fish in the same tank, concluding that the two are emotionally attuned to each other. Fish, he observes, also actively play with other creatures, and he offers examples that illustrate awareness and intention coupled with a sense of amusement. Balcombe makes a convincing case that fish possess minds and memories, are capable of planning and organizing, and cooperate with one another in webs of social relationships. Agent: Stacey Glick, Dystel & Goderich. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Review by Library Journal Review
A fish isn't just a fish. Fish life is complex and interesting. Jonathan Balcombe, an expert in ethology, reveals the surprising abilities among the thousands of varieties of fish. Their intelligence, diversity, and variety are astonishing; there are fish that have better vision than humans and see a wider range of light and more colors; there are fish that can hear at ranges above and below the human hearing range; there are fish that hunt in groups and use simple tools, revealing a social aspect to their underwater lives. Balcombe also discusses the ability of fish to feel emotion and urges reconsideration of human practices and policies related to fish. Balcombe is informative and passionate but also provides an edge of whimsy to his fish story. It is unfortunate that a PDF of the illustrations is not included. Michael Page, an AudioFile Earphones winner, has a crisp tone that enhances the material. VERDICT Drawing on the latest discoveries and research, this audiobook is a solid addition to most science collections. ["A lively and surprising work that makes a strong argument for sport and food fishing reform": LJ 6/1/16 review of the Farrar hc.]-Cynthia Jensen, Plano P.L. Syst., TX © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
