"Seabirds and Atlantic Canada's Ship-Source Oil Pollution" by F.Wiese [book review]

errors of omission and commission. It is noted that scales are not used for ageing mudminnows but does not explain why. The number of lamprey species is given as about two dozen (the same as in the 1964 edition) but this number has increased to about 34 since then. Some scientific names are given as a trinomial; e.g., Semotilus atromaculatus atromaculatus, but no other subspecies are mentioned which makes this extensive name unnecessary. The list of families provided includes native fish only, so to get a comprehensive count of all the different genera and species in the Great Lakes region you would have to look through the entire book. Also, upon comparing the present list to the list provided in the 1964 edition, the latter includes all fish, not just native species. It is therefore not possible, without great effort, to find out how many new native fish have been discovered in the past forty years. There have also been many name changes that have occurred since the last edition was published. Entosphenus lamotteni has now become Lampetra appendix, Lepisosteus productus has become Lepisosteus oculatus, and Pomolobus pseudoharengus has become Alosa pseudoharengus, to name a few. Some of the criticisms of this book mentioned here could be addressed by an on-line version. This book must be small and therefore concise for use in the field and laboratory. An on-line version could have larger maps (updated as new information or corrections are noted), colour photographs of live fish which would be of use to field workers, keys segmented by lake or country (most work is done locally, a worker in eastern Ontario would not find the same suite of species as a worker in Illinois), larger illustrations of key characters, key characters embedded in the key for easier reference, new species could be added as discovered, and keys to larval fish developed. This book is a great tool for use in the lab or field by beginners and professionals alike. With some use it will lay open flat, preventing the loss of place while your hands are busy working on the fish. The positive reputation of this book as the book for Great Lakes region fishes is long standing and will only increase with time.