Free PDF What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins, by Jonathan Balcombe
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What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins, by Jonathan Balcombe
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A New York Times Bestseller
Do fishes think? Do they really have three-second memories? And can they recognize the humans who peer back at them from above the surface of the water? In What a Fish Knows, the myth-busting ethologist Jonathan Balcombe addresses these questions and more, taking us under the sea, through streams and estuaries, and to the other side of the aquarium glass to reveal the surprising capabilities of fishes. Although there are more than thirty thousand species of fish―more than all mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians combined―we rarely consider how individual fishes think, feel, and behave. Balcombe upends our assumptions about fishes, portraying them not as unfeeling, dead-eyed feeding machines but as sentient, aware, social, and even Machiavellian―in other words, much like us.
What a Fish Knows draws on the latest science to present a fresh look at these remarkable creatures in all their breathtaking diversity and beauty. Fishes conduct elaborate courtship rituals and develop lifelong bonds with shoalmates. They also plan, hunt cooperatively, use tools, curry favor, deceive one another, and punish wrongdoers. We may imagine that fishes lead simple, fleeting lives―a mode of existence that boils down to a place on the food chain, rote spawning, and lots of aimless swimming. But, as Balcombe demonstrates, the truth is far richer and more complex, worthy of the grandest social novel.
Highlighting breakthrough discoveries from fish enthusiasts and scientists around the world and pondering his own encounters with fishes, Balcombe examines the fascinating means by which fishes gain knowledge of the places they inhabit, from shallow tide pools to the deepest reaches of the ocean.
Teeming with insights and exciting discoveries, What a Fish Knows offers a thoughtful appraisal of our relationships with fishes and inspires us to take a more enlightened view of the planet’s increasingly imperiled marine life. What a Fish Knows will forever change how we see our aquatic cousins―the pet goldfish included.
- Sales Rank: #5746 in Books
- Published on: 2016-06-07
- Released on: 2016-06-07
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.59" h x 1.16" w x 5.76" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 304 pages
Review
One of the Week's Best Science Picks, Nature
One of the Books You Should be Reading in June, National Post
"Latest Reads to Pique Your Curiosity," The Toronto Star
"What a Fish Knows will leave you humbled, thrilled, and floored. Jonathan Balcombe delivers a revelation on every page, presenting jaw-dropping studies and stories that should reshape our understanding of, and compassion for, some of the most diverse and successful animals who have ever lived. After reading this, you will never be able to deny that fishes love their lives as we love ours, and that they, too, are vividly emotional, intelligent, and conscious. Bravo!" ―Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus, a National Book Award finalist
"Balcombe builds a persuasive argument. Writing in a straightforward, somewhat breezy style, he makes his case partly through a compendium of fascinating anecdotes and scientific findings that illustrate the complexity and creativity of fish behavior . . . Dozens of startling revelations emerge." ―Alan de Queiroz, The Wall Street Journal
"Beautiful . . . we’re much more similar to fish than meets the eye." ―David Gruber, Ideas.TED.com ("What Should You Read This Summer?")
"An extended exploration of the world from a piscine perspective . . . Balcombe makes a persuasive case that what fish know is quite a lot." ―Elizabeth Kolbert, The New York Review of Books
"As ethologist Jonathan Balcombe notes in this engrossing study, breakthroughs are revealing sophisticated piscine behaviours. Balcombe glides from perception and cognition to tool use, pausing at marvels such as ocular migration in flounders and the capacity of the frillfin goby (Bathygobius soporator) to memorize the topography of the intertidal zone." ―Barbara Kiser, Nature
"Balcombe covers the waterfront, so to speak, from fish cognition and perception to their social structures and breeding practices, all the while drawing on a dizzying array of experiments and studies. In the hands of a lesser writer, the sheer weight of material could have overburdened the reader. But Balcombe’s prose is lively and clear, showcasing his gift for pithy sentences." ―Eugene Linden, The American Scholar
"What a Fish Knows bubbles with astounding fish facts." ―Kate Horowitz, Mental Floss
"What a Fish Knows seeks to acquaint us with the 'fabulous diversity' of sentient beings in our waters." ―Sarah Murdoch, The Toronto Star
"The simple fact that fish live in an alien environment has created an information gap that scientists have been hard-pressed to bridge. Until now. Jonathan Balcombe, a professor of animal studies, fills the void in his new book What a Fish Knows, which argues we’re not as different from our water-brethren as you’d think." ―Joselin Linder, New York Post
"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 . . . 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." ―Publishers Weekly
"[A] sparkling exposition on 'our underwater cousins' . . . [and] a compelling pitch for greatly expanding fish conservation." ―Ray Olson, Booklist
"[Balcombe] offers an enjoyable, surprising and sometimes gruesome exploration of the world of fish, written with clarity and humor and grounded in many scientific studies . . . The breadth and depth of his research and his enthusiastic storytelling may permanently alter how [readers] look at a pet goldfish or a can of sardines." ―Sara Catterall, Shelf Awareness
"Outstanding. This excellent book brings fishes into their their proper and well-deserved perspective." ―Dave DeWitt, food historian
"I thought I knew a lot about fishes. Then I read What a Fish Knows. And now I know a lot about fishes! Stunning in the way it reveals so many astonishing things about the fishes who populate planet Earth in their trillions, this book is sure to 'deepen' your appreciation for our fin-bearing co-voyagers, the bright strangers whose world we share." ―Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words
"Based on the latest scientific research, What a Fish Knows offers an eye-opening tour of the social, mental, and emotional lives of fishes. Who knew fishes use tools, appreciate music, fall for the same optical illusions we do, and engage in both cooperative hunting and some very kinky sex? Jonathan Balcombe's book is popular science writing at its best. It will spin your head around." ―Hal Herzog, author of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat
"What a Fish Knows is a delightful and fascinating book that should be read by all who have dismissed fishes, especially the smaller denizens of the ocean, as utterly simple, primitive creatures. Jonathan Balcombe's lively descriptions of fish behavior are backed by solid science. What Carl Safina’s Beyond Words did for elephants, wolves, and orcas, Balcombe's book does for fishes. It is a terrific read." ―Wendy Benchley, ocean conservationist and co-founder of the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards
"Fishes are greatly misunderstood and grievously maligned. Now, in What a Fish Knows, Jonathan Balcombe uses the latest science to provide a comprehensive picture of just who fishes are. You will learn that fishes have distinct personalities, experience a wide range of emotions, form intricate social relationships, and are wonderful parents. Indeed, this forward-looking and long-overdue book is an integral part of reconnecting with the fascinating animals with whom we share our magnificent planet." ―Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals and Rewilding Our Hearts
"What a Fish Knows is the best book on fishes I have ever read. Brimming with engrossing anecdotes and humor, Jonathan Balcombe's inspiring treatise takes the reader on a fascinating and deeply moving journey into the lives of fishes. Balcombe's eloquent, persuasive, highly readable tour de force has a single, luminous message: Fishes deserve more respect, care, and protection." ―Chris Palmer, author of Shooting in the Wild and Confessions of a Wildlife Filmmaker
About the Author
Jonathan Balcombe is the director of animal sentience at the Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy and the author of four books, including Second Nature and Pleasurable Kingdom. A popular commentator, he has appeared on The Diane Rehm Show, the BBC, and the National Geographic Channel, and in several documentaries, and is a contributor of features and opinions to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Nature, and other publications. He lives in Maryland. Find him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and visit his website.
Most helpful customer reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful.
Fishes are fascinating. Prepare for a great read.
By Jeannie Geneczko
Who would have thought that reading about fishes could be so entertaining and educational? After all, I was taught to believe that a fish is a fish is a fish is a fish, … just automatons peddling water waiting for food and sex, sex and food, food and sex, until they become food to other fishes. Other than different colors and shapes, their lives were unremarkable and just plain boring.
I was so wrong.
In opening Jonathan Balcombe’s book, I fell into "Alice in Wonderland" waters where the characters come to life, - but real life, in an underwater civilization that I didn’t know existed. I set aside all I thought I knew about fishes after reading Chapter 1 – The Misunderstood Fish - which challenged the teachings on which I had based my bias about them.
Balcombe first leads through the basics, the understanding of fishes’ senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch and expanded to added senses of magnetic fields, electricity, and pressure.
Then his really challenging work begins: fishes’ pain, consciousness, awareness, stress, and joy followed by intelligence, tools, planning, and winning competitions with primates. Not one to hold back, Balcombe next leads us to the cultural pages of Fishdom with social contracts and societal cooperation, democracy, and peacekeeping.
Who knew?
I could relax my poor brain a bit when he finally ventured into the sex lives and parenting styles of fishes. (Gone was my long held belief that all female fishes let go of their eggs to wherever the waters took them.)
Before reading the last chapter, I braced myself for a round of proselytizing paragraphs on what is wrong about harming fish leading to a condemnation. But no, as a consummate scientist and brilliant writer, Balcombe simply lays out the facts clearly and calmly of how fishes and fish populations are suffering and how current human actions are irreparably damaging Earth’s underwater world. He has finished walking us through the science.
Now he leaves it up to us to decide what to do.
30 of 33 people found the following review helpful.
Jonathan Balcombe pioneers the exciting and exploding field of fish sentience :)
By robert ruderman
MASSIVELY excited to receive this beautiful book in the mail today. "What A Fish Knows", by Jonathan Balcombe, pioneers the exciting and exploding field of fish sentience. Dr. Balcombe is the Director for Animal Sentience at The Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy and is one of the planet's leading nonhuman animal behaviorists.
I never liked fishing, even as a small child. My gut instinct told me something was very wrong with this. But did that stop me from eating fish and crustaceans and other aquatic animals for 37 years? No. Our culture - which, as most of us now know, is heavily dictated by corporations and their lobbying and marketing agendas - brainwashed and desensitized me to the pain and suffering of these complex, social, feeling and highly aware beings. Just because they don't scream does not mean they don't suffer. We now know they do. Just because they don't look or act like us, does not mean that they don't experience the entire range of emotions just like us. We now know they do. It wasn't until I awoke from my slumber 8 years ago that I stopped eating aquatic animals. Now when I dive and snorkel, we are equals.
Fish have just as much of a right to be here as you and me; and they also have just as much of a right to live free and to live free from suffering as you and me. The root of injustice lies in discrimination, and discrimination against other species is no different. Speciesism has caused more pain and suffering and death, by leaps and bounds, than any other form of discrimination in history. It feels good to not cause unnecessary suffering. If you stop eating animals, I am quite certain you will agree.
42 of 44 people found the following review helpful.
If you like fish, if you like watching them in a ...
By Bernard De Koven
If you like fish, if you like watching them in a fishbowl or in an aquarium or when snorkeling or scuba diving; if you like how beautiful some of them are, how weird others are, how strange their behaviors can get; you’ll like this book. You’ll like the breadth of his research, the lightness of his humor, his deep appreciation for fish (or “fishes” as he calls them, to help us understand their plurality and variety). You’ll like how he makes you think about them in new ways: their emotions, their senses, their consciousness, their life in community.
I like reading about play and games and imagination and playfulness and all things related. And when I'm not reading about those things, I like reading science fiction. I especially like those "first contact" stories when the heroes are trying to figure out how to communicate with an alien mind. It's a wonderful exercise of the imagination, just to imagine someone who thinks differently than you. It's also a wonderful exercise in compassion, and understanding children and your significant others and your boss. Reading Dr. Balcombe's book is like that. Like reading science fiction. Only it's science non-fiction.
You’ll be amazed at how much mind is present in the two-thirds of the world we’ve never considered in any other light than that of food and perhaps beauty. I’d advise, however, that you skip the last chapter.
If, on the other hand, you like fish because they taste good, or because catching them is good sport, and you don’t want to think about the lives, the uniqueness of the beings that you are taking away from their communities and habitats, you should still read this book. It will give you a different perspective on things. It will help you appreciate the cost of the gift of their lives that you are accepting. But you still shouldn’t read the last chapter.
You might flip the book open to, for example, page 84 of the chapter that begins with the question "do fish feel pain?" where Dr. Balcombe writes:
"Fishes show the hallmarks of pain both physiologically and behaviorally. They possess the specialized nerve fibers that mammals and birds use to detect noxious stimuli. They can learn to avoid electric shocks and anglers' hooks. They are cognitively impaired when subjected to nasty insults to their bodies, and this impairment can be reversed if they are provided with pain relief."
Yes, but do they have fun?
And so, we turn to page 97.
"This one (fish) seemed to have a destination. She would swim in one direction along the bottom (of the aquarium), then, on reaching the end of the tank, she swerved upward and swam to the surface. Arriving there, she was met by the current of the water pump, pushing the little traveler like a rocket back to the other side. There, she descended back to the bottom and started her circuit all over."
Finally, yes, if you’re the kind of person who wants to save lives, conscious lives, who wants to help create a better balance between our ever-growing, all-consuming appetite and the dwindling abundance of ways to satisfy those appetites; if you want to get angry, yes, by all means, read the whole book, every last word.
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