News
OceanSouth Korea’s Celebrity Shark Raises Bigger Questions About Climate Change And Ocean ConservationIndiaFrom pickles to fish farming: 3 farmers show how innovation can transform agricultureRiversEl Niño seen disrupting fish migration patternsSpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationFisheriesPrince William Sound reports lowest pink salmon harvest since the late 1970sOceanSouth Korea’s Celebrity Shark Raises Bigger Questions About Climate Change And Ocean ConservationIndiaFrom pickles to fish farming: 3 farmers show how innovation can transform agricultureRiversEl Niño seen disrupting fish migration patternsSpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationFisheriesPrince William Sound reports lowest pink salmon harvest since the late 1970s
EveryFish

Food fish

Caught and eaten around the world. 688 fish on EveryFish so far.

Fish is one of the main foods of humanity. The Food and Agriculture Organization reckons that aquatic foods provide about 15 per cent of the animal protein people eat worldwide, and much more in coastal and island countries and in places such as Bangladesh, Indonesia and West Africa. Thousands of fish species are eaten, but a few dozen, such as anchovies, pollock, tunas, herrings, carps and tilapia, make up most of the catch.

Fish in Indian kitchens

Most Indians eat fish at least sometimes, and in Bengal, Odisha, Assam, the North-East, Kerala, Goa and the Konkan, fish is at the centre of everyday meals. Bengalis prize rohu and hilsa cooked in mustard. Kerala cooks sardine, mackerel and pearlspot with coconut and kokum. Goans eat fish curry and rice daily, and Mumbai's Kolis fry bombil and pomfret. Dried and fermented fish are basic foods in the North-East and along the coasts.

From catch to plate

Fish spoils quickly, so ice, cold chains, canning, freezing, drying, salting and smoking shape how it reaches people. A large share of the world's catch of small fish such as anchovies is turned into fish meal and oil for farmed fish and animals rather than eaten directly. Large predatory fish such as some tunas and swordfish can build up mercury, so health agencies give advice on how often to eat them. EveryFish describes these uses as practice and tradition, not health advice.

Famous food fish fish

Atlantic codThe fish of fish and chips and bacalhauIlishThe hilsa of Bengali cookingRohuIndia's most eaten carpSkipjack tunaMost of the world's canned tunaAlaska pollockFish fingers, fillets and surimiPeruvian anchovetaThe largest single-species fisheryIndian mackerelAn everyday fish of India's coastsAtlantic herringPickled, smoked and salted in northern Europe

Further reading

GroupSharkRayCarpCatfishSalmonidHerringCodTunaPerch-likeCichlidReef fishEelFlatfishLivebearerAncientOther
WaterRivers and lakesEstuaries and mangrovesCoasts and shelvesCoral reefsOpen oceanDeep seaPolar and cold seasCaves and springsBetween sea and river
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy size
WorldTorinae A subfamily of large freshwater carps known as mahseers, found across Asia and Africa.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreRohu A large silver carp from South Asian rivers, farmed for food and prized as a game fish.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreCommon snowtrout A cold-water cyprinid from Himalayan rivers.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇷 Iran and 1 moreShabout A large freshwater carp native to the Tigris-Euphrates basin in Western Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇰🇪 Kenya and 4 moreRipon barbel A large freshwater cyprinid from East African lakes and rivers.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1900 🇷🇺 RussiaCaspian roach A brackish water fish from the Caspian Sea region, widely consumed as a dried snack.Carp · Estuaries and mangroves 🇹🇭 Thailand and 2 moreSiamese mud carp Freshwater cyprinid native to Mekong and Chao Phraya riversCarp · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreLake chub A small cold-water minnow native to Canada and the northern US.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇯🇵 JapanNigorobuna Wild carp from Lake Biwa used for fermented sushi.Carp · Rivers and lakes WorldMinnow Small freshwater fish from the Cyprinidae family used as bait and food.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇲🇲 Myanmar and 1 moreCelestial pearl danio A tiny, brightly coloured freshwater fish from Myanmar and Thailand, popular in the aquarium trade.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 2006 🇮🇷 Iran and 3 moreMangar Large cyprinid fish of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1843 🇨🇳 ChinaPrzewalskii's naked carp Endemic cyprinid of China's Qinghai Lake basinCarp · Rivers and lakes Caspian kutum 🇮🇷 Iran and 2 moreCaspian kutum A prized ray-finned fish from the Caspian Sea.Carp · Estuaries and mangroves · 1901 🇮🇶 IraqBinni A plant-eating barbel from the Tigris and Euphrates marshes.Carp · Rivers and lakes EuropeCommon nase A migratory European cyprinid with orange tail fins.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreBarbel Carp-like freshwater fish with distinctive mouth barbelsCarp · Rivers and lakes EuropeAsp A predatory freshwater fish native to Europe and western Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreFathead minnow Small North American freshwater fish used as bait and in toxicity studies.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreGolden shiner A North American minnow used widely as bait and in pond culture.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreColorado pikeminnow A large native river fish of the Colorado Basin, once abundant but now critically endangered.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇫🇷 FranceCommon bleak A small, silvery freshwater fish found across Europe and Western Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇰🇭 Cambodia and 2 moreGiant barb The largest cyprinid fish, native to major river basins in Southeast Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 2 moreEmpurau A large Southeast Asian river fish prized for its high market value.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreTinfoil barb A large Southeast Asian freshwater fish known for its red fins and silvery body.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1853 🇹🇭 Thailand and 1 moreHampala barb Large predatory cyprinid from Southeast Asian rivers.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreJava barb A silvery freshwater fish farmed across Southeast Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreJullien's golden carp Endangered Southeast Asian river fish with five stripesCarp · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 ChinaGoldfish A domesticated freshwater carp from China, kept worldwide as a pet and aquarium fish.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreBlack carp A large freshwater fish native to East Asia, known for eating snails and causing ecological issues in the US.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreMud carp Freshwater fish farmed in Asia since the Tang dynastyCarp · Rivers and lakes WorldTench Slippery freshwater fish with olive-green skin and red eyes.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇦🇺 AustraliaCommon roach A widespread European freshwater fish with red fins.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇿🇦 South Africa and 4 moreSmallmouth yellowfish A hardy sport fish native to South Africa's Orange-Vaal river system.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇿🇦 South AfricaClanwilliam yellowfish A golden-hued river fish from South Africa's Cederberg.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇿🇦 South Africa and 2 moreLargemouth yellowfish Large freshwater barb from southern African rivers.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇮 Burundi and 3 moreNingu A freshwater carp found in Lake Victoria and its tributaries.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 4 moreSwamp barb Small tropical freshwater fish from South AsiaCarp · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 1 morePengba A ray-finned fish native to Manipur and Myanmar.Carp · Rivers and lakes Schizothorax plagiostomus 🇨🇳 China and 4 moreSchizothorax plagiostomus A high-altitude cyprinid from the Himalayan rivers.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 3 moreTrout barb A slender carp living in fresh waters near the Bay of BengalCarp · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 4 moreMola carplet A small freshwater fish from the Indian subcontinent valued as food.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇫 Afghanistan and 4 moreOlive barb A cyprinid fish native to South and Southeast Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 3 moreReba carp An edible freshwater fish native to South Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreTor mahseer Large cyprinid fish of Himalayan rivers with record-sized scales.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreTor khudree A large freshwater carp native to Indian rivers, known for its silvery body and red fins.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1838 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 3 moreKuria labeo A large freshwater carp native to South Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreBata A slow-moving freshwater carp native to India and Bangladesh.Carp · Rivers and lakes
More fish

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The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: the fish of the day, new pages on EveryFish, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.