Fisheries are one of the most important renewable resources.
With increasing fishing pressure, the only option left for
the sustainability of fisheries is their rational management.
Proper management is possible with a thorough knowledge
of the dynamics of the fish stocks. For a meaningful study
of the dynamics, knowledge of natural history of the species
is necessary and this in turn can be acquired by the correct
identification of fish species. This assumes greater importance
in tropical seas where, a multitude of closely related and
morphologically similar species occur. The role of taxonomy
and proper identification cannot be overstressed in studies
of population dynamics. Acquaintance with the main species
should be such that there should no errors in identification
of them in any special form such as racial differentiation,
abnormalities, malformation due to decay or disease. As
to species of less importance collections and observations
can be made for taxonomic studies which will be useful in
future. Species identification study is also a step towards
understanding the bewildering biodiversity that characterizes
in the marine ecosystem
