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SpeciesScientists 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 ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliamentSpeciesScientists 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 ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliament
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
🇦🇫 Afghanistan and 4 moreRita Large bagrid catfish from South Asian riversCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 4 moreButter catfish Asian sheatfish valued for delicate flesh and fish balls.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇿🇦 South Africa and 4 moreAfrican sharptooth catfish Large airbreathing catfish farmed across Africa and AsiaCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreRedtail catfish A large South American catfish known for its red tail and popularity in the aquarium trade.Catfish · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaSynodontis A large African genus of spotted catfish known for squeaking sounds and belly-up swimming.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreBigmouth buffalo A long-lived North American freshwater fish known for its terminal mouth and exceptional lifespan.Catfish · Rivers and lakes WorldHypostomus plecostomus A tropical armored catfish from South America, kept in aquariums for algae control.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇺🇸 United StatesBrown bullhead A hardy North American catfish known for surviving poor water conditions.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1819 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreYellow bullhead A medium-sized North American catfish known for its bright yellow belly and scavenging habits.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1819 🇺🇸 United StatesBlack bullhead A small, hardy North American catfish that tolerates poor water conditions and feeds at night.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilGilded catfish A large South American catfish found in the Amazon and Orinoco basins.Catfish · Rivers and lakes Asian redtail catfish 🇹🇭 Thailand and 1 moreAsian redtail catfish Large Asian bagrid catfish with a bright red tail.Catfish · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaCuckoo catfish A brood-parasitic catfish from Lake TanganyikaCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇴 Bolivia and 4 moreRipsaw catfish Large thorny catfish native to South American rivers.Catfish · Rivers and lakes WorldPangasius A genus of shark catfishes from South and Southeast Asia, widely farmed for food.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1822 Silver butter catfish Sub-Saharan AfricaSilver butter catfish Widespread African catfish with a silvery body and shovel mouthCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 AustraliaEel-tailed catfish Venomous freshwater catfish native to eastern AustraliaCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United StatesBlue catfish A large North American catfish known for its size and invasive spread in eastern US waters.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreFlathead catfish A large North American freshwater predator known for its broad head and carnivorous diet.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 2 moreGiant pangasius A large freshwater catfish from Southeast Asia, now critically endangered due to overfishing and habitat loss.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1931 🇺🇦 Ukraine and 4 moreWels catfish A large freshwater catfish native to Europe and Western Asia, known for its size and bottom-feeding habits.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreMekong giant catfish A massive freshwater fish native to the Mekong basin, now critically endangered.Catfish · Rivers and lakes Vundu Sub-Saharan AfricaVundu A large air-breathing catfish native to African rivers and lakes.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilPiraíba A massive Amazonian catfish known for its long barbels and role as an apex predator.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreSpotted sorubim A large South American catfish known for its spotted pattern and commercial value.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1829 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreTiger shovelnose catfish Large striped South American river catfishCatfish · Rivers and lakes · 1862 🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreElectric catfish African catfish that generates strong electric shocksCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreAncistrus A genus of small, nocturnal freshwater catfish native to South America and Panama.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇲🇼 MalawiKampango A large predatory catfish native to the waters of Lake Malawi.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreChannel catfish A widespread North American freshwater catfish, prized for food and sport.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1819 WorldGiant catfish Large estuarine catfish found across the Indo-Pacific.Catfish · Estuaries and mangroves · 1837 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreAsian stinging catfish A small freshwater catfish with a painful stingCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 IndiaSun catfish A yellow catfish with a black shoulder spot from India.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇫 Afghanistan and 4 moreGiant river-catfish Large bagrid catfish from South Asian riversCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreLong-whiskered catfish Large Asian catfish prized for food and sport.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreGoonch catfish A massive river catfish native to South Asia.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 2 morePangas catfish Large shark catfish from South Asian rivers and estuaries.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1822 Long Whiskers Catfish 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreLong Whiskers Catfish A brackish water catfish with long barbels found in South and Southeast Asia.Catfish · Estuaries and mangroves 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 4 moreStriped dwarf catfish Small Asian catfish found in brackish waters and swamps.Catfish · Estuaries and mangroves 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 4 morePabdah catfish Small spotted freshwater catfish from South AsiaCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMagur catfish Freshwater airbreathing catfish from India and BangladeshCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 China and 2 moreAmur catfish Large freshwater catfish native to East AsiaCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 moreWalking catfish A Southeast Asian air-breathing catfish known for moving across land and surviving out of water.Catfish · Rivers and lakes Southeast AsiaBasa A freshwater catfish from Southeast Asia sold globally as a cheap white fish.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1880 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreGiant devil catfish Large river catfish of South AsiaCatfish · Rivers and lakes · 1822 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 4 moreSpotted sea catfish A tropical catfish found in Indo-Pacific watersCatfish · Rivers and lakes · 1792 WorldCatfish A diverse order of ray-finned fish known for whisker-like barbels and lack of scales.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreIridescent shark Large Southeast Asian catfish farmed for food and kept in aquariums.Catfish · Rivers and lakes
More fish

Photo credits on this page

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.