We examined the discrimination of picarel stocks in the Aegean Sea. The results of multivariate analysis on 14 morphometric and six meristic characteristics per individual showed no difference between the two sexes. Only morphometric characters showed enough between-group variability for the analysis. Analysis of these characters did not reveal clear discrimination of populations between all six areas examined. However, we can discriminate two major population groups. The first includes the populations of the North Aegean (Kavala, Alexandroupoli and Thessaloniki) and the second includes those of the South Aegean (North and South Crete and Cyclades). The phenetic tree of Mahalanobis distances showed that populations of picarel caught in neighbouring areas appear relevant.