Essential Marine Life Guides: 11 Must-Have Books for Exploring the Pacific Northwest

Last Updated on October 25, 2024 by Candice Landau

For those of you living in the Pacific Northwest and who love marine life (or who love identifying it) these books are essential additions to your bookshelf. In no time, you’ll be a whiz!

There’s only ONE book on this list I don’t own and that one I can recommend without even reading it because the author is incredible.

If an ID book isn’t your thing and you’d simply like a quick brochure/guide to marine life, scroll to the end. I’ve collated some of the best guides that I’ve actually looked through. You can sometimes pick these up in Barnes and Noble but the easiest way to get them is on Amazon.

Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest: A Photographic Encyclopedia of Invertebrates, Seaweeds And Selected Fishes

Published 2005

By Andy Lamb and Bernard Hanby

398 pages

I still think of this as the definitive source for all of my initial identification needs. It also weighs almost 4 lbs which should give you an idea of how much value is packed inside it. Yes, it’s not light, but if you dive local, who cares! Throw out the map book and keep this in the car. I only wish I’d covered mine when I first bought it as the cover is getting a little ratty (you can buy one of these covers to protect it, just make sure to get the right size).

Seriously though, it’s so easy to navigate and is broken up into multiple sections. If you’re smarter than I am, you might consider taking post-it notes to demarcate the sections. Don’t use the colored-paper post-it notes though! If they get wet, they stain. Use those little plastic markers.

Whelks to Whales: Coastal Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest

Third edition published August 2, 2022

By Rick M. Harbo

352 pages

This is a great book to purchase if you’d prefer something a little smaller in size. It still has as many pages as Andy and Bernard’s book but it is literally half the size. A much more portable option if that’s your thing. Quite a few dive shops sell this one. It’s also half the price. I own both, of course.

The New Beachcomber’s Guide to the Pacific Northwest

Second Revised Edition published August 6, 2024

By J. Duane Sept

416 pages

As with Whelks to Whales, this is a slightly more pocket-size book (though still beefy). I have an earlier edition but it’s really all you need if you intend to remain a tidepooler. It’s very easy to use and page through and has plenty of observations catering to those staying topside. Absolutely love it!

Pacific Seaweeds: A Guide to Common Seaweeds of the West Coast

Updated and Expanded Edition published June 4, 2016

By Louis Druehl and Bridgette Clarkston

320 pages

Okay, perhaps I’m a giant nerd but this book is incredible. Most people will opt for marine life books only but that’s a mistake. This is the most comprehensive book on seaweeds I’ve ever read, well, paged through and read when I need an ID. It’s also a great way to figure out which seaweeds are edible because yes, we do have those!

Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest

Revised and Expanded Second Edition published June 15, 2010

By Andy Lamb and Phil Edgell

352 pages

When I purchased this book online I imagined I was just being an Andy Lamb fangirl (I am obsessed with his marine life ID book after all) but the truth is this book offers so much value in its own right, with photos and illustrations to help you identify the fish you see. It’s definitely not an abridged, fish-only version of his big book, but rather a companion book you’ll definitely want to put on your shelf if you have anything whatsoever to do with fish.

A Guide to the Rockfishes, Thornyheads, and Scorpionfishes of the Northeast Pacific

Published October 1, 2012

By John L. Butler, Milton S. Love, and Tom E. Laidig

200 pages

Of all the books on my list, this is somehow the only one I don’t own. That said, Milton Love is one of the authors which means it’s guaranteed to be a slam dunk. If you don’t know who Milton Love is (and chances are you won’t), he’s only the most hilarious of all fish biologists. I’m about to recommend his other two books. No doubt at some point I’ll pick this one up. If you like fish, buy this. There’s probably no one else on the planet that knows fish (specifically rockfish) better than this guy.

Rockfishes of the Northeast Pacific

Published September 2, 2002

By Milton S. Love, Mary Yoklavich, and Lyman Thorsteinson

416 pages

As with the first book on my list, this is a BIG book. Think textbook. It’s also the most hilarious book I’ve ever come across. It contains far more than you could ever want to or hope to know about rockfishes. Best of all, if you buy it on Milton’s website, you’ll get the opportunity to have his very unique signature added. Your choices are: Guava and Rhubarb. I don’t recall what I went with but perhaps one of each? Given it’s only $24, it’s a steal. No, seriously. Just you wait…

Certainly More Than You Want to Know About the Fishes of the Pacific Coast

By Milton S. Love

672 pages

In Milton’s own words, “Here is the low-down (and for that matter the high-down) on a mind-numbing 490 species, with 688 color images, in 672 pages. Be the first person on your block (neighborhood or cell) to really understand what these fishes do, where they go, and how they feel about life.” Frankly, I don’t think there’s a better way to sum it up. Again, it’s a hilarious read. And once again, ridiculously cheap for the textbook it is (or maybe I’m just used to being ripped off when it comes to purchasing textbooks). Again, if you buy the book from Milton’s own site, you get that special signature option.

Fylling’s Illustrated Guide to Pacific Coast Tide Pools

Published June 1, 2015

By Marni Fylling

96 pages

This is a beautiful little gem of a book. I don’t usually buy illustrated marine guides as I find them so much harder to use when it comes to identifying something you’ve seen in real life but this is small and very gorgeous little handbook. I can see kids absolutely loving it (as well as the grown ups with them) especially if they’re doing their first tide pool expeditions. Marni made me want to pick up painting again, that’s how lovely the book is.

Shells & Shellfish of the Pacific Northwest (A Field Guide)

Published January 1, 1997

By Rick M. Harbo

272 pages

If you’re fascinated by shells, this book is for you. I don’t think you could find a more comprehensive book about the shells you’re likely to encounter on beaches or underwater. Ignore the publish date, this stuff honestly doesn’t change much and I can promise this book is gorgeous and looks just as good as the more recently published ones. That’s true for every book on this list.

Super Suckers: The Giant Pacific Octopus and Other Cephalopods of the Pacific Coast

Published March 6, 2009

By James A. Cosgrove and Neil McDaniel

256 pages

This book is so much more than an ID guide. Not surprising given it’s got a lot more of a niche focus. If you’ve ever been fascinated about the giant Pacific octopus you come across as a diver, or the curious finds (like squid eggs) when you’re beachcombing, this book is going to fascinate you. Frankly, I’d pair it with Sy Montgomery’s “Soul of an Octopus,” but that’s just me—book obsessed.

If you don’t read books but still want an ID guide

These pamphlets or laminated brochure type guides are perfect for the person who likes to pack light. And while they’re not comprehensive ID guides like the books mentioned above, they do include many of the most common species you are likely to come across.