An enthusiastic lover of natural history, he became a popular author, writing "Fish Hatching" (1863), "Curiosities of Natural History" (4 vols. 1857–72), "Log Book of a Fisherman and Zoologist" (1876) and "Natural History of British Fishes" (1881). When he fell out with "The Field's" editor, he founded and edited a rival periodical, "Land and Water", in 1866. He became Inspector of Salmon Fisheries in 1867, and retained this post for the rest of his life. In this role he was extremely energetic, and made good use of his talent for publicity. He served on various commissions, experimented with fish hatcheries, and developed the Museum of Economic Fish Culture.