This publication presents the marine living resources of the Southern Ocean considered to be of interest to fisheries or of major importance for the conservation of the Antarctic environment, in the form of a practical, illustrated field guide following the format of the by non well-established series of FAO Species Identification Sheets for Fishery Purposes. The major groups included are seaweeds, euphausiids, king crabs/stone crabs, bivalves, gastropods, cephalopods, hagfishes/lampreys, sharks, batoid fishes, bony fishes and marine mammals. Every group section includes an explanation of relevant technical terminology, general remarks, guides or keys to suborders, families or genera, and identification sheets for selected families and species. Identification sheets include an alpha-numerical family or species code, valid scientific names and synonyms still in use, proposed CCAMLR-FAO common names in English, French, Russian and Spanish, an illustration of the family or species in question, a diagnosis, illustrated differential diagnoses of similar families or species, and information on size, geographical distribution and behaviour, with a map, and fisheries. The publication ends with a comprehensive alphabetical index of scientific and common names.