The general characteristics of the Turkish marine ichthyofauna are presented with respect to local conditions of abundance, habitat, depth range, feeding habits, size, geographic distribution and commercial importance. A statistical analysis was carried out for the 400 fish species belonging to 119 families. The Turkish marine ichthyofauna is characterized by a large proportion of common, medium sized species of Atlanto-Mediterranean origin inhabiting benthic soft substrates between 0–250 m in depth, feeding mainly on invertebrates.