A list of fish (selachians and teleosts) collected in the north-western Ionian Sea during bottom trawl surveys carried out from 1985 to 1993 is reported. A total of 159 species were identified (19 selachians, 140 teleosts) on the fishing grounds. The species Raja rondeleti, Nemichthys scolopaceus and Bathophilus nigerrimus have been found for the first time in the Ionian Sea. The majority of the species have an Atlanto-Mediterranean diffusion. Galeus melastomus and Merluccius merluccius were the most common and abundant selachian and teleost respectively in the investigated area. A wider depth distribution than that known in the literature was observed for some species. A high affinity between the demersal fish fauna of the north-western Ionian and southern Adriatic is shown. A scheme of frequency and abundance for the ichthyofauna collected during the research period has been provided.