As anyone who has spent time exploring the many and fascinating varieties of life to be found along the coastlines of the great Pacific Northwest, as well as the offshore waters adjacent to them, has quickly learned, any field guide to be used during time afield needs not only to be accurate and clear in the information it presents, it also needs to be highly resistant to water.
Fortunately for naturalists making such excursions, Harbour Publishing has long produced – among their wide range of field guides – a very handy collection of exceptionally tidal zone and marine environment suitable field guides in the form of durable, water-resistant fold-outs. From nudibranchs and seaweeds to common fishes and sea stars, this collection contains field guides for many of the fascinating life forms to be found in along and off the coatline, and as such have now long been considered by coastal naturalists as must-have items for visits to the area.
Most recently, Greg Jensen’s A Field Guide to Crabs of the Pacific Northwest has been added to this growing collection of water-resistant foldable field guides. Including straight-forward, easily accessible information and identifying images of forty-six species of crabs, from the widely-known (and much coveted among seafood fanciers) Dungeness Crab, Cancer magister, to the little-known (at least to me) Pubescent Porcelain Crab, Pachycheles pubescens, as well as a concise introductory section explaining crab ecology and life history, this new field guide will easily prove itself essential to any well-stocked field bag for all Pacific Northwest coast explorations.
