Fd: What can you tell us about your new book: Wild Trout?
Wild Trout is a bilingual (English and Spanish) book that covers the basic aspects of the biology of wild trout in Patagonia. Its 300 pages show unique photos accompanied by short texts that tell the life of these fish in four chapters: habitat, food, species and reproduction. It is not a technical book, it is rather adapted to the average fisherman who is eager to know more about wild trout and also enjoy the art of a photographer who is recognized in the world of fly fishing, as is Isaias Miciu. It highlights generally-unknown aspects and shows photos that include moments, organisms and environments that have rarely been seen. Paper, printing and design have the highest publishing standards.
Fd: How did the idea of making this book come up?
The idea of making this book comes as a celebration, a tribute and an hommage to wild trout in Patagonia, Argentina.
In the first place, it’s because we have been attracted to them since childhood, because of the challenge of catching them, because of their beauty, their way of life and the environment in which they live. But, on the other hand, we also wanted to celebrate what wild trout mean in a social, cultural and economic way. It has influenced us as adults and today they are a part of our daily life.
We also saw that there was a big "gap" in the literature that is related to trout in its wild state and that is not related to fishing nor to specific places.
In addition to that, we’d like to please the readers visually and also in a technical / biological way through the concise and precise texts.
Finally, for us it would be great if this book could help someone become a better fisherman.
Fd: What else can you tell us about your own relationship with trout and fly fishing?
Trout and fishing have marked us and influenced us both personally and in a professional way, I would go as far as saying that it has given us a direction (at least in a professional way).
Javier, for example, has a great career and several publications always related to the technical and biological side of trout. I (Isaias), on the other hand, have always been linked to the artistic side, while still having trout as the axis in my subjects. I have been part in many publications in the fishing world throughout the United States, Europe and Patagonia, of course. You can read more about us and our careers at the end of this article.
Fd: Is there any particular objective behind the publishing of the book?
Undoubtedly, there is a desire to show the unique beauty of these habitats and ecosystems, as complex and fragile as they are, so we can encourage others to be attracted to them; and therefore generate respect and incentives for its preservation. Not only to those who are linked to fishing, but to anyone who is attracted to nature in Patagonia in general.
Fd: In what kind of environments and situations did you take the photographs that make up this work?
Basically everything was developed in its own natural environment, and for this we had to learn and develop different methods and techniques of approaches. It took us 3 years of work.
Fd: Well, how can we acquire the book?
You can find the book in the MercadoLibre online store (which is Latin America’s eBay) by clicking here: Book.
Or you can request it via email by writing to us:
javierurbanski@gmail.com
info@isaiasmiciu.com
Other info about the book:
Title: Wild trout
Authors: Diego Javier Urbanski; Isaias Miciu Nicolaevici; prologue by Ronald Sorensen.
First ed. – San Martín de los Andes, Argentina 2018.
300 pages. 27 x 21 cm.
ISBN 978-987-42-6664-4.
About the authors:
Isaías Miciu Nicolaevici
Isaias Miciu Nicolaevici was born in Montevideo, Uruguay (1985). He spent the first years of his childhood in the mountain ranges of Cordoba until his family moved to San Martin de los Andes. It is here, in northern Patagonia where he discovered a real passion for fly fishing, so as a fly-fisherman and wild-nature lover he selected photography as a way to express it.
In the Caribbean Isaias did a number of varied courses to improve his photography skills.
A year later he did a workshop with Theo Ribeiro (Brazil) in which acquired extensive knowledge in digital technology.
He participated in three advertising productions for Beretta in Italy with Marcos Furer.
Back in Argentina he works with Eliseo Miciu (he´s brother) on a number of productions.
He keeps specializing in outdoors photography (particularly in hunting and fishing). This takes him to travel to exotic destinations in Brazil, Russia, central States of USA (Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana), Kenya, SouthAfrica, Bahamas...
In 2013 it is time for him to get back to Italy for Beretta again, but this time as the main photographer of the production.
But always returning to Patagonia, where he feels he belongs to.
Today based in San Martin de los Andes, Isaias remains active developing his artistic photography service and books on outdoors activities.
Javier Urbanski
Born in 1968 in Córdoba City, Argentina, Javier Urbanski and his family arrived to San Martín de los Andes in 1972. In 1988 he returned to Cordoba to start his graduate studies in Biology, finishing in 1994. The next year he began working for the Applied Ecology Center of Neuquén Province (CEAN), where he was involved in several research and fish population management projects. The most important projects focused on the economic value of recreational fisheries, salmonid migration, and he served as the director of the Fish Capture and Reproduction Station. He was head of the CEAN Aquatic Fauna Department, directed several research programs at that Center until 2005, and published various scientific papers and articles. His numerous postgraduate studies have focused on fish population’s ecology, fish migrations and water quality bio-indicators. Simultaneously, he starts offering consulting services for environmental impact assessment and monitoring, which leaded him to create his own consulting company with three colleagues. The firm provides professional services on aquaculture projects and also built its own hatchery in 2006. His profession has taken him all across Patagonia and Chile and he earned scholarship grants for studies in the USA, Japan and Italy.
He currently works as an independent contractor and associated with others environmental companies. He is also a Professional Fishing Guide since 2008, which keeps him well connected with his great passion; water and fish.
