This is the fifth in the FAO series of worldwide annotated and illustrated catalogues of major groups of organisms that enter marine fisheries. The present volume includes the two families and all 12 species of billfishes known so far. It provides a comprehensive and illustrated key to families and species, with a glossary of technical terms and measurements. Within each family are given individua1 accounts of species which include drawings, scientific and vernacular names, information on habitat, biology and fisheries, and a distribution map. The section including family and species accounts is followed by a table indicating the distribution of each species by major marine fishing areas. The work is fully indexed and there is ample reference to pertinent literature.