A repository of available information on the taxonomy, biology, ecology, occurrence and utilization of fishes. It holds published information on almost all of the estimated 25,000 existing fish species. The information is arranged in 55 subject tables. It can be accessed through the Internet ( http://www.fishbase.org) or installed on a PC from a CD-ROM. At the heart of fishbase is the authoritative taxonomic fish classification established by W.N. Eschmeyer (California Academy of Science). It ensures that all information is assigned to current scientific names, even if a publication uses an outdated name.