Best Fish Encyclopedias: 4 Books for Different Interests
Best Saltwater Fish Identification Guides: 11 Picks by Region
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Sesera editorial account organizes laptop, mini PC, smartphone, and gadget buying guides so readers can check the important points before buying.
Choosing a saltwater fish guide can be tricky when the waters and species you want to identify vary by region.
Illustrations, identification keys, and details such as habitat and geographic range offer practical ways to look up fish.
This time, we’ll round up eleven guides, from laminated folding formats to full-length regional books.
Quick-reference table of recommended products
| Product name | Format | Fish species count (species) | Geographic coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
 A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes: From Alaska to California | Paperback | almost 700 | West Coast, Alaska to California |
 Ken Schultz’s Field Guide to Saltwater Fish | Paperback | 227 | — |
 A Field Guide to Tropical Reef Fishes of the Indo-Pacific (Fifth edition) | Paperback | 1,670 | Tropical Southeast Asia, Southern Pacific islands, and Australia |
 Saltwater Game Fish of North America, 2nd Edition | Laminated folding guide | 36 | Nearshore and offshore game fish of North America |
 Reef Fish Identification – Florida, Caribbean and Bahamas, 4th edition | — | 683 | Florida, the Caribbean, and the Bahamas |
 Reef Fish Identification Travel Edition – Caribbean, Bahamas, South Florida | Travel Edition with plastic comb binding | 281 | Caribbean, Bahamas, and South Florida |
 Saltwater Fishes of the Pacific Northwest | 12-panel laminated identification guide | 64 | Washington’s northern border to Oregon’s southern border |
 A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes: From Maine to Texas (second edition) | Paperback | more than 1,140 | Brackish and marine waters from Maine to Texas |
 Marine Fishes of Florida | Paperback | hundreds | Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf coasts, from nearshore habitats to deeper waters |
 Field Guide to Fishes of the Chesapeake Bay | Paperback | more than 200 | Low-salinity estuaries to where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean |
 Saltwater Fishes of the Mid-Atlantic Coast | Pamphlet | 60 | Nearshore waters from Delaware to Cape Hatteras |
A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes: From Alaska to California
If you’re looking for an illustrated guide to West Coast marine fishes from Alaska to California, this book is recommended. You’ll find descriptions of 157 fish families and almost 700 species, with 996 color illustrations; coverage runs from shallow, brackish waters to depths of about 200 meters.
A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes: From Alaska to California
Ken Schultz’s Field Guide to Saltwater Fish
For anglers and fish enthusiasts looking to identify common saltwater fish, this field guide is recommended. The guide covers 227 species arranged alphabetically, with large, full-color illustrations and entries on identification, size and age, distribution, habitat, life history and behavior, and feeding habits; the publisher describes it as compact and easy to take along.
Ken Schultz’s Field Guide to Saltwater Fish
A Field Guide to Tropical Reef Fishes of the Indo-Pacific (Fifth edition)
For readers seeking an identification guide to reef fishes across tropical Southeast Asia, the Southern Pacific islands, and Australia, this paperback is recommended. This revised and expanded fifth edition covers 1,670 species and includes a family identification guide, an index, more than 2,000 illustrations, and 29 color photographs.
A Field Guide to Tropical Reef Fishes of the Indo-Pacific (Fifth edition)
Saltwater Game Fish of North America, 2nd Edition
For readers seeking a field guide to North American near-shore and offshore game fish, this laminated folding guide is recommended. The guide covers 36 species; the retailer describes it as suitable for field use under any weather conditions, and its dimensions are 8¼" T x 4" W x ¼" D.
Saltwater Game Fish of North America, 2nd Edition
Reef Fish Identification – Florida, Caribbean and Bahamas, 4th edition
For divers seeking a quick-reference guide to reef fishes in Florida, the Caribbean, and the Bahamas, this fourth edition is recommended. It includes photographs of 683 species, along with information about their taxonomy and distribution; coverage spans reefs, sand flats, grass beds, surf zones, and walls.
If you’re considering the e-book version, it is compatible with Mac OS, Windows OS, Mac iOS, and Android devices.
Reef Fish Identification – Florida, Caribbean and Bahamas, 4th edition
Reef Fish Identification Travel Edition – Caribbean, Bahamas, South Florida
For divers who want a fish identification guide to carry in luggage or a gear bag and use on a boat, this Travel Edition is recommended. It covers 281 species and includes 560 photographs; its waterproof, tear-proof PVC covers and sturdy plastic comb binding are described as allowing quick searches with wet hands.
Reef Fish Identification Travel Edition – Caribbean, Bahamas, South Florida
Saltwater Fishes of the Pacific Northwest
For readers who want a regional fish guide that fits in a pocket, tackle box, or boat console, this laminated folding guide is recommended. Across its 12 panels, the guide covers 64 saltwater fishes from Washington’s northern border to Oregon’s southern border, with 71 full-color illustrations and a key to fish features. It is laminated for repeated, waterproof use.
Saltwater Fishes of the Pacific Northwest
A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes: From Maine to Texas (second edition)
For readers who spend time on the water along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, this guide is recommended for its coverage across that region. The second edition covers more than 1,140 fish species in brackish and marine waters from Maine to Texas. Its species accounts provide identification details and information about biology, habitat, distribution, and size.
A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes: From Maine to Texas (second edition)
Marine Fishes of Florida
For readers who want to identify Florida marine fishes while diving, snorkeling, kayaking, or fishing, this guide is recommended. It covers hundreds of species across 133 fish families, from Atlantic and Gulf nearshore habitats to deeper waters, coastal rivers, and other brackish waters. The 495 color photos accompany species information such as identification markings, habitat, and range.
Marine Fishes of Florida
Field Guide to Fishes of the Chesapeake Bay
For anglers and students seeking a guide to Chesapeake Bay fish, this field guide is recommended. It covers more than 200 species in waters ranging from low-salinity estuaries to where the Bay meets the Atlantic, with color illustrations and identification keys to help readers identify the fish.
Field Guide to Fishes of the Chesapeake Bay
Saltwater Fishes of the Mid-Atlantic Coast
For readers identifying nearshore fish from Delaware to Cape Hatteras, this laminated folding guide is recommended. It covers 60 species, with illustrations to help identify them; each profile also includes information on habitat, geographic range, lifecycle, and lifespan.
Saltwater Fishes of the Mid-Atlantic Coast
Choose by region and use
- People identifying Pacific coast fishes from Washington through Oregon
- Anglers identifying saltwater fish or game fish
- People identifying tropical reef fishes in the Indo-Pacific
- People identifying reef fishes in Florida, the Caribbean, or the Bahamas
- People identifying coastal fishes in Atlantic or Gulf waters
