Malcolm Francis has spent more than 50 years scuba diving and exploring the seas around New Zealand and the South Pacific Ocean. He was Principal Scientist for Inshore and Pelagic Fisheries at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research until his retirement in 2020. He has authored four previous editions of 'Coastal Fishes of New Zealand', co-authored 'Sharks and Rays of New Zealand', and was the co-editor of the Montana Book Awards finalist 'The Living Reef: The Ecology of New Zealand's Rocky Reefs'