This guidebook, with its brief, informative text and 408 color illustrations, is designed for the fishwatcher, that inquisitive person—whether swimmer, tidepool watcher, skin or scuba diver, or fisherman—who wants to know something about the beautiful and abundant marine life from Labrador to Trinidad.

The 378 fish species that are described in words and pictures have been chosen as those most commonly sighted by divers or shoreline visitors, taken by fishermen or collectors, or found in the marketplace. Two maps assist the reader in locating the range of particular fishes, and there is a section on diving timps for beginners.