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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
🇯🇵 JapanNigorobuna Wild carp from Lake Biwa used for fermented sushi.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United StatesWhite bass A silver-striped freshwater fish native to North American rivers and lakes.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreAlewife A small North American herring that migrates between sea and rivers.Herring · Coasts and shelves 🇦🇷 Argentina and 4 moreArgentinian silverside A large, adaptable silverside native to South America.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreMosquitofish Small North American fish introduced globally for mosquito control.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreRed-bellied piranha A widespread South American freshwater fish known for its omnivorous diet and shoaling behavior.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreRed-bellied Pacu A large South American freshwater fish related to piranhas, farmed for food and kept in aquariums.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇰🇭 Cambodia and 4 moreGyrinocheilus aymonieri A Southeast Asian freshwater fish known for its suction-like mouth and role in the aquarium trade.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilBlack arowana A South American freshwater fish known for its dark colour and jumping hunting style.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreSilver arowana Large South American freshwater predator with bone tongue.Other · Rivers and lakes Karonga tilapia 🇲🇼 Malawi and 2 moreKaronga tilapia Endangered cichlid from Lake Malawi and the Shire River.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldCichlid Diverse freshwater fish family known for parental care and rapid evolution.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1835 Fire eel 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreFire eel Large spiny eel with red markings from Southeast AsiaOther · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 3 morePeacock eel A small freshwater spiny eel from Southeast Asia.Eel · Rivers and lakes OceaniaBanded archerfish A silvery fish that spits water jets to catch prey.Perch-like · Estuaries and mangroves · 1767 🇨🇳 China and 4 moreThree spot gourami Hardy freshwater fish native to Southeast Asia with distinct side spots.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldDamselfish Small marine fish known for aggressive territorial behaviour and reef farming.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves WorldMoray eel A global family of elongated marine eels known for their powerful jaws and patterned skin.Eel · Coasts and shelves 🇲🇽 Mexico and 2 moreMexican molly Small livebearing fish from Mexico and Central America.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSailfin molly Small livebearing fish with a large dorsal fin in males.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1821 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreFreshwater drum A hardy North American freshwater fish known for its grunting sound.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇷 Costa Rica and 1 moreMidas cichlid Large aggressive cichlid from Central AmericaCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreTexas cichlid The only cichlid native to the United StatesCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreMayan cichlid A hardy cichlid from Mesoamerica with a distinctive tail spot.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldUaru A large South American cichlid from clear Amazon streams.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1840 Sub-Saharan AfricaJewel cichlid Brightly colored African cichlids kept in aquariums for their vivid breeding colours and parental care.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United StatesRedear sunfish Freshwater panfish known for crushing snail shells.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes WorldMango tilapia A large cichlid native to Africa and the Levant.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreBlue tilapia Hardy cichlid native to Africa and the Middle EastCichlid · Rivers and lakes Middle EastRedbelly tilapia A hardy cichlid from Africa and the Middle East.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreOscar Large South American cichlid popular in aquariumsCichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1831 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreSpeckled peacock bass A large South American cichlid prized for sport and food.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreButterfly peacock bass Large South American cichlid prized for sport fishingCichlid · Rivers and lakes Livingston's cichlid Sub-Saharan AfricaLivingston's cichlid A predatory cichlid from Lake Malawi that feigns death to hunt.Cichlid · 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 WorldMinnow Small freshwater fish from the Cyprinidae family used as bait and food.Carp · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaRedbreast tilapia Herbivorous cichlid from southern African freshwatersCichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1897
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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.