johnnie edward fishcavelife.info/hall/fish.pdf · 2004 important amcs bulletin, karst hydrogeology...

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Johnnie Edward Fish Fall 1942 – 24 October 2019

William R. Elliott, Derek Ford and Bill Steele

Cavers who know the ‘60s and ‘70s period in Mexico know the name John Fish. We also called him “Juan Pescado”!

John was a pillar of speleology in Mexico. His involvement was intense for a few years before he moved on to other

things. He earned a PhD in geology at McMaster University, Canada, under karst hydrogeologist Derek Ford. Derek

recalls that “He was a tough caver and one of the best of the PhD students that I had the privilege of advising. His thesis

was a comprehensive study of the caves and karst in the Sierra de El Abra that was in advance of its time in many respects

and is still relevant to modern karst hydrogeology and speleology. I found him a bright, witty, sociable and helpful person

when we were working together.”

John Fish at the 2015 NSS Convention. David McKenzie and John Fish at the bottom of

Bill Elliott. Sótano de la Joya de Salas, 1965. Orion Knox.

John grew up in Emporia, Kansas, and was raised in the Methodist Church. He completed a BA degree with distinction in

physics and mathematics at Kansas State Teachers College in 1964. He then studied terrestrial magnetics at the University

of Texas, earning an MS in geology and becoming a very active caver there in the 1960s. He explored and mapped many

caves in the Sierra de El Abra, Xilitla and Golondrinas areas, and Huautla, Oaxaca. He also explored Texas caves.

He was one of the pioneers of Sótano de la Joya de Salas, the deepest cave in Mexico for a while, and Sótano de San

Agustín and six other caves at Huautla. John even mapped the floor of Sótano de las Golondrinas with a plane table and

alidade to get the topography. The early publications of the Association for Mexican Cave Studies (AMCS) are full of

John’s reports and maps.

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He did his PhD dissertation work in the El Abra in the 1970s, finishing in 1977. That became AMCS Bulletin 14, Karst

Hydrology of the Sierra de El Abra, Mexico (2004). If we go back to the earliest year of the AMCS, we find this excerpt

from the first AMCS Newsletter, Vol. 1, No. 1, January 1965, p. 2:

“David McKenzie, Phillip Schiffert, John Fish, and Orion Knox left Austin on the night of November 25th [1964]. First

they visited Cueva de El Abra, located just north of Antiguo Morelos [Tamaulipas], and then they traveled south to Sótano

del Tigre [San Luis Potosí], located a few miles NE of Valles. The entrance to the sótano, which is like that of Tinaja,

receives the flood waters from a large surrounding area and is a 300–foot vertical drop broken by a ledge 100 feet down.

At the bottom of this drop two short passages lead to pits, each about 30 feet deep, which were not descended due to lack

of equipment. Next the group went to Sótano de la Tinaja and explored what was thought to be the end of the entrance

passage. They found a continuation of this passage above a flowstone slope that lead a short distance to an 80–foot drop

into a large room or a passage. Lack of equipment prevented further exploration. On the return trip to Austin, Grutas de

Quintero [Tamaulipas] were visited and first section of the cave mapped.” They also did Sótano del Arroyo, but were

turned back by deep water.

Participants in the April 1967 expedition to Sótano de San Agustín, Huautla de Jiménez, Oaxaca. From

left, standing: Dave Brison, John Fish, Robert Thren, Rune Burnett, Ed Alexander, Orion Knox. Seated:

Terry Raines, Laurie Cameron, Tom Tracy, Bill Bell, Jonathan Davis, Tommy McGarrigle. By Terry

Raines.

John Fish, Bill Elliott, Don Broussard and others explored and mapped three deep pits in the Golondrinas area in April,

1969. Bill Steele went to Ellison's Cave with John about 1975. Bill was amazed at him climbing the 510–foot freefall drop

using the Texas system with two Jumars.

One legendary story of Mexico caving, told and retold many times, was of John saving Don Broussard’s life. Don also

passed away this year and John sent this recollection to be read at Don’s caver memorial:

There was the time he nearly drowned in the terminal siphon at the far end of the sandy–floored Passage in Sótano de la

Tinaja. The large passage continued underwater a few inches below bedrock, possibly connecting with Sótano del Arroyo.

We tied a rope on Don for emergency, I got in the water at the end, and a third man (possibly Miles Abernathy) waited on

shore. It was the explorer/adventurer Don’s idea. Don swam off, unexpectedly encountered a dome of bad air, and passed

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out. I got concerned that something was wrong and looked for our prearranged flashlight or rope signals. Nothing! Then I

began pulling the rope. No resistance except for Don’s weight in the water. Then I saw him several feet below the water—

not moving, passed out. I shouted to Miles on shore to keep his light lit and pointed toward the sump. I dove under the

bedrock ceiling several feet to get Don. I didn’t know if either of us would make it out! I got Don and the only way I could

tell what direction to swim was to the light on shore. I made it out with Don. After getting our lights working better and

pumping water out and air into Don, he began breathing again, although weakly. We had to walk slowly out, with one

man on each side of Don, for about 1½ miles of cave, including helping Don up a 25–foot ladder. He gradually gained

strength as we went. He lived again!!

John Fish and David McKenzie having a meal in Sótano de la Joya de Salas, May 1965. Orion Knox.

After finishing his PhD in the mid–70s, John taught at Indiana University, then went to join the USGS in Miami, Florida,

working on management of the shallow carbonate aquifer south of Miami. It was challenging trying to keep the intensive

vegetable farming versus drinking water interests balanced and the water itself little polluted.

John also was a student of cave biology, collecting many specimens for James Reddell and Bob Mitchell. Taxonomists

named four species after John that he discovered: a spider, Psilochorus fishi, millipedes, Mexicambala fishi and

Mexiterpes fishi and a beetle, Mexaphaenops fishi.

Eventually John left geology and returned to his Christian roots. He was out of contact with his caving friends for many

years. Around five years ago cavers learned that he lived in Muskegon, Michigan and contact was made again. John

attended the 2015 NSS convention in Waynesville, Missouri and the Texas Caver reunion that same year. He was

enthusiastically interested in what had happened in Mexico caving in his absence. He wrote a tribute to his departed

friend, Don Broussard, with whom he worked in the El Abra. He was a good friend to many, a notable scientist, and an

all–around great guy.

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Los Sabinos Campground, near Ciudad Valles, SLP, 14 January 1972. Left to right: Logan McNatt, Craig

Bittinger, Jon Mikels, Don Broussard, John Fish and John Bassett. By Paul Duncan.

Notes on John Fish’s Scientific Work

William R. Elliott

Contact me at [email protected] or 573-291-5093, 914 Bannister Drive, Jefferson City, Missouri 65109.

John Fish’s Accomplishments in the Sierra de El Abra, San Luis Potosí and Tamaulipas, Mexico From AMCS Bulletin 26, The Astyanax Caves of Mexico by William R. Elliott, 2018. The Sierra de El Abra was John’s

dissertation area, with many important caves and a huge groundwater system.

1964 11/1964 Sótano de la Tinaja explorer

1965 1/24/1965 Sótano del Venadito first explorers

1965 1/26/1965 Cueva de El Pachón map

1965 11/24/1964 Sótano del Tigre map entrance, Level 1 200 m mapped

1965 11/25/1965 Sótano del Arroyo map

1966 4/10/1966 Bee Cave first cavefish collection

1967 11/25/1967 Tigre sketch

1967 11/27/1967 Tigre sketch

1970 Sótano del Soyate 2nd

survey draft

mailto:[email protected]

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1970 7/1/1970 Sótano de la Roca co-discoverer

1971 12/1971 Arroyo map

1971 1971 Sótano de Japonés sketch

1971 1971 Sótano del Jos draft

1971 1971 Jos sketch

1971 6/28/1971 Los Cuates, mapped cave as “Cueva del Prieto” to first sump (Fish 1974, 2004)

1971 7/16/1971 Soyate installed stage recorder 11 m above lake

1972 1/1972 Japonés sketch

1972 1970-7/15/1972 Cueva de los Sabinos sketch

1972 1972 Tinaja sketch

1972 6/5/1972 Soyate group of 7 installed stage recorder


1973 1973 Japonés draft


1974 Los Cuates draft

1974 El Abra Region dissertation on hydrogeology

1974 Sabinos draft

1974 Tinaja draft

2004 important AMCS Bulletin, Karst Hydrogeology of the El Abra Region

John Fish El Abra Bibliography

Fish, John. 1966. Trip reports: 6-10 April 1966. The AMCS Newsletter, 2(2):29-33.

Fish, John. 1971. Karst geomorphology and hydrology of the Sierra de El Abra, San Luis Potosí and Tamaulipas, Mexico.

(Abstract) Caves and Karst, 13(5):40.

Fish, John. 1974. La Sistema de Los Sabinos. Mexico’s longest cave. The Canadian Caver, 6(1):3-20.

Fish, John. 1977. Karst hydrogeology and geomorphology of the Sierra de El Abra and the Valles-San Luis Potosi region,

Mexico. Ph.D. Thesis. Hamilton, Ontario: McMaster University. xvii + 469 pp.

Fish, John. 1978. El Sótano de Japonés, Mexico. The Canadian Caver, 10(1):1-2, map.

Fish, John. 2004. Karst Hydrology of the Sierra de El Abra, Mexico. Association for Mexican Cave Studies, Bulletin 14,

186 pp

Texas Bibliography, from TexBib, Texas Speleological Survey, Austin.

Fish, J.[E.]. 1965. Vice-Chairman's trip reports. UTG Newsletter, II(II):2-3.

Fish, J.[E.]. 1966. Trip reports. UTG Newsletter, II(IV):[2-3].

Reddell, James [R.], and John Fish. 1966. News: University of Texas Grotto. Texas Caver, 11:103.

Reports and Articles by or Mentioning John Fish in Mexico and Texas Compiled by William R. Elliott with DocFetcher, a quick indexing program.

AMCS Newsletter and Activies Newsletter, Association for Mexican Cave Studies, Austin, Texas:

1967-v003-no. 1-6 AMCS_NL_&Index.pdf

1973-v004-no. 1-6 AMCS_NL_&Index.pdf

1974-77 AMCS_NL_V5_NL_&Index.pdf

1976-AMCS ANL 04-May.pdf

1977-AMCS ANL 05-January.pdf



1979-AMCS ANL 09.pdf




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2012-AMCS AML 35.pdf

2013-AMCS AML 36.pdf


NSS News, National Speleological Society (last 20 years):

2017-05-NSS.pdf

2019-08-NSS.pdf

Texas Caver, Texas Speleological Association (not all are indexed yet):

TexasCaver_1964-v09-n07.pdf









1966 [not indexed yet]



1968-1971 [not indexed yet]

TexasCaver_2019-10-01_Compressed_0.pdf

Cave Maps by John Fish and Friends Most of the Mexico maps can be seen state by state at http://www.mexicancaves.org/maps/ Huautla de Jiménez, Oaxaca Maps by John Fish

From Oaxaca cave maps index by William R. Elliott

Map

Year

Cave Ref

1966 Cueva de Agua Carlota Association for Mexican Cave Studies Newsletter, vol. 2, no. 3, p. 67, 1966. AMCS

Activities Newsletter 36, p. 61, 2013.

1966 Millipede Cave Association for Mexican Cave Studies Newsletter, vol. 2, no. 3, p. 66, 1966. AMCS


1966 Water Trough Cave Association for Mexican Cave Studies Newsletter, vol. 2, no. 3, p. 66, 1966. AMCS


1967 Sótano del Río Iglesia Description of Sótano del Río Iglesia, folded map plate, 1967

1970 Cueva de Santa Cruz Canadian Caver no. 4, p. 57, 1971. reprinted AMCS Activities Newsletter no. 22, p.

107, 1997. Hydrogeology of the Sistema Huautla Karst Groundwater Basin, p. 121,

2002

1970 Sótano de San Agustín Canadian Caver, no. 3, map in pocket, 1970

2001 Cueva de San Agustín AMCS Activities Newsletter no. 25, p. 61, 2002. Canadian Caver 59, pp. 22-23, 2002.

http://www.mexicancaves.org/maps/

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San Luis Potosí Maps by John Fish

From cave maps index by William R. Elliott

Map

Year Cave Area Ref

1964 Sótano del Tigre Sierra de El Abra 1965. Association for Mexican Cave Studies Newsletter, vol. 1,

no. 3, p. 33. Elliott, William R. 2018. The Astyanax Caves of

Mexico. AMCS Bull. 26, p. 164.

1966 Sótano de San Francisco Sierra Álvarez 1968. Association for Mexican Cave Studies Newsletter, vol. 2,

no. 6, p. 138, 1968 (for 1966).

1967 Sótano de las Golondrinas Golondrinas 1968. Sótano de las Golondrinas, loose map.

1967 Sótano del Tigre Sierra de El Abra 2014. AMCS Activities Newsletter 37, p. 20.

1969 Sótano de La Linja Golondrinas 2002. Caves of the Golondrinas Area, p. 47.

1970 Cueva de la Ceiba Sierra de El Abra Fish, John. 2004. Karst Hydrology of the Sierra de El Ebra,

Mexico, p. 101.

1970 Cuevas de Taninul

numeros 1 y 2

Sierra de El Abra 2004. Karst Hydrology of the Sierra de El Ebra, Mexico, pp. 94-

95.

1971 Cueva de los Cuates Sierra de El Abra 2004. Karst Hydrology of the Sierra de El Ebra, Mexico, p. 98.

1971 Cueva de los Monos Sierra de El Abra 1989. Sierra de El Abra Cave Map Folio, plate 8.

2004. Karst Hydrology of the Sierra de El Ebra, Mexico, p. 100.

1971 Cueva Pinta Sierra de El Abra 2004. Karst Hydrology of the Sierra de El Ebra, Mexico, p. 106.

1971 Los Cuates Sierra de El Abra 2004. Karst Hydrology of the Sierra de El Ebra, Mexico, p. 115.

1971 Nacimiento del Río Choy Sierra de El Abra 2004. Karst Hydrology of the Sierra de El Ebra, Mexico, p. 92.

1971 Sótano de Escalera Sierra de El Abra 2004. Karst Hydrology of the Sierra de El Ebra, Mexico, p. 104.

1971 Sótano de Jos Sierra de El Abra 2004. Karst Hydrology of the Sierra de El Ebra, Mexico, p. 122.

Elliott, William R. 2018. The Astyanax Caves of Mexico.

AMCS Bull. 26, p. 192.

1971 Sótano de los Monos Sierra de El Abra 1989. Sierra de El Abra Cave Map Folio, plate 8.


1971 Sótano de Soyate [2nd

survey]

Sierra de El Abra 2004. Karst Hydrogeology of the Sierra de El Abra, Mexico, p.

114.

2011. AMCS Actvities Newsletter 34, p. 32.

1971 Sótano y Cueva de los

Monos

Sierra de El Abra 2001. Sótanos de México: Abismos de Luz y Sombra, page 58.

1972 Cueva de El Coy Sierra de El Abra

1972 Cueva de Los Sabinos Sierra de El Abra 1974. Canadian Caver, v. 6, no. 1, p.15.



AMCS Bull. 26, p. 170.

1972 Nacimiento de El Río Coy Sierra de El Abra 2004. Karst Hydrology of the Sierra de El Ebra, Mexico, p. 134.

1972 Sótano del Arroyo Sierra de El Abra 1974. Canadian Caver, v. 6, no. 1.



AMCS Bull. 26, p. 174 [John Fish's 1973 version]

1972 Ventana Jabalí Sierra de El Abra 2004. Karst Hydrology of the Sierra de El Ebra, Mexico, p. 102.

1973 Sótano de El Coy Sierra de El Abra

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1973 Sótano de Japonés Sierra de El Abra 1978. Canadian Caver, v. 10, no. 1, follows p. 2.

2004. Karst Hydrology of the Sierra de El Ebra, Mexico, p. 118-

119.


AMCS Bull. 26, p. 158-159.

1973 Sótano de la Cuesta Sierra de El Abra 1989. Sierra de El Abra Cave Map Folio, plate 5.


1974 Sótano de la Tinaja Sierra de El Abra 1974. Canadian Caver, v. 6, no. 1.



AMCS Bull. 26, p. 180-181.

1977 Sótano del Llano sin

Nombre

Xilitla highlands No reference on AMCS website.

1977 Sumidero de Llano

Chiquito

Xilitla highlands 1978. Canadian Caver, v. 10, no. 2, p. 42.

1977 Sumidero del Llano

Chiquito no. 2

Xilitla highlands No reference on AMCS website.

1977 unnamed pit (site 44) Xilitla highlands No reference on AMCS website.

1978 Sótano de Trinidad Xilitla highlands

Tamaulipas Maps by John Fish

From cave maps index by William R. Elliott

Map

Year Cave Area Ref

1965 Cueva de El Pachón Sierra de El Abra 1965. AMCS Newsletter. Vol. 1, no. 2. p. 17a.

1967. Caves of the Inter-American Highway, p. 54.

1965 Sótano de Joya de Salas Sierra de Guatemala Russell and Raines. 1967. Caves of the Inter-American

Highway, p. 50. Association for Mexican Cave Studies

Newsletter, vol. 2, no. 6, p. 135, 1968 (for 1966).

2009. AMCS Activities Newsletter 32, p. 138.

1966 Grutas de Quintero Sierra de El Abra Russell and Raines. 1967. Caves of the Inter-American

Highway, AMCS Bull. 1. p. 66. Fish, John. 2004. Karst

Hydrology of the Sierra de El Ebra, Mexico, p. 99.

Texas Maps by John Fish

From TSSMaps Database, 1997, by William R. Elliott

MAP

YEAR

NAME COUNTY Cavers REF

1962 Perched Water Cave Gillespie A.R. Smith, John Fish Special envelope for reprinting

Blanco, Gillespie, Llano (in

Blanco drawer)

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1965 0-9 Well Crockett J. Fish, J. Reddell, C. Kunath

(1976)

Texas Caver, Nov. 1976:199.

Fieseler, R.G., J. Jasek, and M.

Jasek [eds.] 1978. An

introduction to the caves of

Texas. NSS Convention

Guidebook:39.

1965 Gardner's Fall Pit Val Verde E. Blum, R. Burnett, J. Fish

(UTG)

Reddell, J.R. 1968. The caves

of the Stockton Plateau. Texas

Speleol. Survey, 3(2):91.

1965 Landslide Cave Travis E. Alexander, J. Fish, A.R.

Smith

1965 Santleben Cave Uvalde J. Fish, C. Loving, J. Reddell

1966 Airport Cave Val Verde B. Burnett, J. Fish, R. Ralph

1966 Comstock Crack Val Verde J. Fish

1966 Yellow Jacket Cave Travis A.R. Smith, J. Fish

1967 Dime Boxwork Cave Gillespie A.R. Smith, J. Fish

1967 Ezell's Cave Hays Kastning, E. (1983) after J.

Fish, 1967

Kastning, E.H., Jr. 1983.

Geomorphology and

hydrogeology of the Edwards

Plateau Karst, Central Texas.

Ph.D. Diss., Univ. Texas

Austin:384.

1967 Ezell's Cave Hays J. Fish, R. Ralph, J. Reddell

1967 Gypsum Crystal Cave Gillespie A.R. Smith, J. Fish

1967 Windlass Cave Culberson

(limestone)

C. Kunath (1969), John Fish,

A.R. Smith, J. Reddell

Reddell, J.R., and R.G.

Fieseler. 1977. The caves of

Far-West Texas. Texas

Speleol. Survey, 4(2):31.

? Mosquito Cave Travis? E. Alexander, J. Fish, A.R.

Smith

Species Named after John Fish

From James R. Reddell, retired cave biologist, Killeen, Texas

John Fish was a good biological collector and made many cave collections in Texas and Mexico. He discovered several

species new to science. The following species were described in scientific papers and named in his honor by taxonomists

Willis J. Gertsch, Nell B. Causey, and Thomas C. Barr, Jr.

Spiders: Psilochorus fishi Gertsch - Hidalgo

Millipedes: Mexicambala fishi Causey – Aquismón region, San Luis Potosí

Mexiterpes fishi (Causey) – Huautla area, Oaxaca

Beetles: Mexaphaenops fishi Barr – Sierra de Guatemala, Tamaulipas

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