Aquatics Authority & Author John Dawes United Kingdom & Spain

John Dawes is an internationally renowned authority on fish, aquaria, ponds and water gardening. Formerly a teacher, then a lecturer at the University of Bath, England, he has, since 1983, been a freelance author, editor and international aquatic consultant. He is the former editor of the British monthly hobby magazine Aquarist & Pondkeeper and the former Editor/Coordinator for Ornamental Fish International -- later its Secretary General (OFI is an ornamental aquatic industry organisation with members in 40 countries) for whom he also edited and published the OFI Journal. John has written for numerous international trade and consumer publications, including, among others, several in-flight magazines, Pet Business World, Pet Product Marketing, Aquatic Trader, Today's Fishkeeper and Water Gardener (UK), Pet Product News, Pet Product News International, Freshwater and Marine Aquarium, Aquarium Fish International, Aquarium USA and Ponds USA and Water Gardens (USA), PETS Europe, Pet in Europe, PETS International and Aqua Trends International (The Netherlands), Das Aquarium, Aqualog News and Aquarium Heute (Germany), HobbyZoo and Aquarium (Italy), Akvaristi (Finland), Pet Industry News and Practical Aquariums & Water Gardens (Australia) and the Spanish magazines Mi Jardín, Acuario Práctico, Animalia, Lookout (an English-language magazine published in Andalucía) and Aqua Mar. Having been the Editorial Consultant for Aquarama Magazine since its launch in 2003, John is now the Chief Editor. Aquarama Magazine is an Asia-based publication specialising in matters relating to the international ornamental aquatic industry. He has also acted as consultant to InterMedium Publishers BV (The Netherlands) for EuroZoo '91 and to Expoconsult (Singapore) - now CMP Asia Trade Fairs Pte. Ltd. - for their biennial trade/public exhibition, Aquarama, from 1987 to date, and is now acting in the same capacity for Aquarama 2009 (incorporating InterGarden - dedicated to the pond and water garden sector). He has also been consultant for Aquaria China 2004 - the first-ever all-aquatic trade show and conference held in China in September 2004 - and its follow up, Aquaria China 2006. In addition, John has been a member of judging panels at shows as far afield as Florida and Singapore, has acted as Chief Judge at Aquarama 2003 and 2005, and at Aquaria China 2006. In May 2005, John and his wife and business partner, Vivian, received a special award from Ornamental Fish International at its Silver Jubilee Dinner, for their contributions to the ornamental aquatic industry. About 4,000 of John's articles have been published in consumer and trade publications, as well as several in scientific/educational journals, in many countries, including Australia, Finland, Russia, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and United States, and he has been involved in the production of five films and videos. Books to which John has contributed, either as author or editor, include The Fishkeeping Yearbook, The Tropical Freshwater Aquarium, Freshwater Aquarium Fishes, John Dawes's Book of Water Gardens, The Book of the Marine Aquarium, Livebearing Fishes, Tropical Aquarium Fish, The Water Gardening Handbook, Freshwater Tropical Fish and the Complete Encyclopedia of the Freshwater Aquarium. In 1999, he wrote and edited, in conjunction with two Far East colleagues, the first-ever English-language book on the legendary Scleropages formosus entitled The Dragon Fish (this book was also published in Chinese). Several of his books have also been translated into other languages, including German, Dutch, Danish and Spanish. Over the past few years, John has been involved in three major book projects: writing all 43 entries on threatened species of fish for the ten-volume set, Endangered Animals, acting as General Editor and major contributor to the revised edition of The Encyclopedia of Underwater Life, and writing eight of the ten volumes in the World of Animals - Fish. John holds a Joint Honours degree in biology and geology and a Certificate in Education. He is also a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London, The Linnean Society of London, a Member of the Institute of Biology (London), and a Chartered Biologist. John and Vivian share a passion for Asian cookery and Mediterranean wild flowers and transferred their business and home from Wiltshire (England) to a village near Manilva (Andalucía, Spain) in July 1997.