Incase some of you were a bit confused by Gary's email (not that that would be
very unusual!) he was referring to a field guide Rob Wager and I wrote on
central Australian fishes. I was waiting until there was a source for them in
the US before announcing it. Luckily I was able to bring back some this month
when I returned from Australia and will be passing them along to Jim Forshey
next weekend. For those of you who don't know Jim, he has one of the largest
collections of books relating to fish keeping in the country. He is also a
book dealer, you can check out his stuff at http://www.seahorses.com.
Anyway, he has a limited number of copies which I think he was going to sell
for around US$20 (don't hold me to that). Of course you can also buy them
directly from Australia. The details of the original release are as follows.
Bruce Hansen did a little review of the book in the ANGFA newsletters
(national and Qld), if you don't recieve copies then you deserve everything
you don't get.
Tootles
Peter Unmack
15 January 2001
Lake Eyre fish guide now available
The Department of Primary Industries Queensland Fisheries Service (QFS) has
released a fascinating new field guide on the fishes of central Australia.
The guide, entitled "Fishes of the Lake Eyre Catchment of Central
Australia", was developed by QFS in conjunction with the Lake Eyre Zonal
Advisory Committee, from funding provided by the Natural Heritage Trust.
DPI principal policy officer, Bernadette Kerby, said the guide provided a
wealth of information to anyone interested in Australian fishes and aquatic
ecosystems.
"The guide explains that the Lake Eyre Basin, despite being characterised by
a lack of water, is home to a unique group of fishes, called the desert
fishes," Ms Kerby said.
"The guide has colour photographs and a key to the 33 fishes native to the
area to assist with identification, as well as sections on the distribution,
habitat and biology of these fishes.
"There is information on the angling potential of the native fishes, their
eating quality and conservation status, and a section on introduced pest fish."
Ms Kerby said that the guide covered the area from the Finke River near
Alice Springs, east to the Bulloo River at Quilpie, and from Mount Isa in
the north, to Broken Hill in the south.
A limited number of free copies, of "Fishes of the Lake Eyre Catchment of
Central Australia", are available to people who live within the Lake Eyre
region. To obtain a copy, phone (07) 3227 7259.
Copies can be bought from the DPI bookshop for $25, by telephoning the DPI
Call Centre on 13 25 23.
Further information: Bernadette Kerby Ph: (07) 3227 7259 Mobile 0417 760365
Public Affairs Officer: Lisa Connors Ph: (07) 323 93012
Department of Primary Industries Public Affairs
GPO Box 46 Brisbane Qld 4001 Fax (07) 3239 0860
I also obtained details on how to purchase them from overseas. As follows.
I was given a phone number, fax and e-mail contact for purchase of the book
from overseas.
Telephone: 617 3239 3772
Fax: 617 3239 6509
E-mail: books at dpi.qld.gov.au
The handling charges are
Order total: $0-$100
Air mail - $25.00
Economy Air - $17.00
Surface Mail - $15.00
Order total: $101-$200
AM - $35
EA - $25
SM - $19
It just goes up from there.
You can pay by Bankcard, MC, Visa and American Express