Meet UK fish expert Jack Perks

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to be so involved with fish

I'm a professional wildlife cameraman and specialise in UK fish. Birds and mammals get a lot of the attention, so I wanted to try and push fish, which are a bit more out of sight, out of mind. Plus you can see incredible behaviours without getting wet! Sticklebacks building nests in the shallows or, if you're lucky, Trout and Salmon leaping over falls.

What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about them?

That fish are stupid. They can have some complex social structures and can even learn new behaviours, for example, Perch will follow Eels and wait for them to find prey then rush in to steal it from them.

You know a thing or two about fish found in the River Ouse?

It arguably the best place in the country to watch Thin-lipped Mullet congregate in huge numbers to try and get rid of marine parasites in the freshwater. I've visited a few times and it still takes my breath away watching all these fish move in such a small area.

Tell us about your book A Field Guide to British Fish and how that came about

I wanted to do a field guide that has both marine and freshwater species in it, so it features over 200 species found across the British Isles.

And the film, Britain's Hidden Fishes?

It came about when working with (TV presenter and angler) Jeremy Wade, as I asked if he'd narrate it. The idea was to create the first kind of documentary focused on UK fish. It will be shown in Lewes in July 2026 at Depot, as part of the Love of Ouse Festival. 

What message would you like to give people reading your book or watching your film?

To give fish a bit more thought, as there are some incredible species here in Britain. And, as well as being important parts of the food chain and environmental indicators, they have some amazing life stories and behaviours all of their own.

Buy Jack's book A Field Guide to British Fish here