This book presents over 250 European fishes illustrated in colour, including those which live in ponds and streams, and the familiar small coastal fishes found in rock pools or on sandy beaches. Also included are many of the strange inhabitants of the deeper ocean waters around Europe, and the marine fishes that form such an important source of our food. The introduction provides useful background information to the fishes as a group - their anatomy, biology and ecology - together with a survey of the traditional and modern techniques used to catch them.