This Morphological study of otoliths of the family Sciaenidae (Percoidei, Perciformes) is the first part of a long term catalogue project dealing with recent otoliths. In the past, otoliths of the Sciaenidae always attracted attention because of their large size and diverse morphology, but have never been the subject of a comprehensive analysis until now. This treatise investigates otoliths of 190 of approx. 230 recent Sciaenid species covering all 70 recent genera accepted as valid, plus their respective subgenera. In addition, the nearly 100 nominal fossil otolith species of the Sciaenidae are being revised. A second volume on Pleuronectiformes is in preparation.