Common Names

Common or vernacular names are those which people normally use in their own languages. These can be confusing in various ways. It is not always easy to tell whether they are general names or specific ones. They may have only local validity. They can have different meanings in different parts of a country, or in different countries (for example, hake in Britain and the United States). They may be ambiguous (for example, monkfish in Britain). They may be misleading (for example, Dover sole, if it makes people think that there is a distinct species inhabiting the waters near Dover). And it is often difficult to know which of two or three widely used names is the best (for example, sea trout or salmon trout?).