The guide mostly uses illustrations for identification of 29 families and 134 species of bony fishes in the Volta Lake, providing a practical tool for field workers. The bony fishes are introduced by a general section on technical terms, followed by an illustrated guide to the different families both of which precede an annotated and illustrated list of the more important species which includes FAO names, size, fishing gear and habitat. Where there are synonyms of species they are indicated. A composite list of local names for the species is included to make the guide useful to fishermen as well.