For most British natural historians, there is one vertebrate order that could well be said to be "out of sight, out of mind." This is our freshwater fishes, familiar principally only to anglers, those concerned with managing rivers and other waterbodies, and a few research scientists. The results of this project, which ran from 1998-2002, are published here in the form of comprehensive 10km square dot-distribution maps for the 54 species inhabiting England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. These indicate the vulnerability of several of our native British species. In his Foreword, Sir John Burnett, Chairman of the National Biodiversity Network Trust, commends this books as "a unique reliable source of clear and comprehensive information that is pleasing both to the mind and to the eyes" and expresses the hope that "it will lead to ... the more effective conservation of this 'alien race' in our midst."