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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
🇹🇭 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 Sub-Saharan AfricaVictoria tilapia A cichlid native to Lake Victoria with unique colour patterns.Cichlid · 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 🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreKokanee salmon A landlocked freshwater form of the sockeye salmon found in North America and Japan.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 RussiaInconnu A large anadromous whitefish native to the Caspian Sea basin.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 RussiaOmul A whitefish species endemic to Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇲🇰 North Macedonia and 1 moreOhrid trout An endemic trout species found in Lake Ohrid and the Black Drin river.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇹 ItalyCarpione Endangered salmonid fish native to Lake Garda in Italy.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇲 ArmeniaSevan trout Extinct endemic salmonid of Lake Sevan in ArmeniaSalmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreSea trout Anadromous form of brown trout that migrates between sea and rivers.Salmonid · Between sea and river 🇯🇵 JapanBiwa trout Salmonid fish endemic to Lake Biwa in JapanSalmonid · Rivers and lakes · 2025 🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreOncorhynchus A genus of migratory fish native to the North Pacific basin.Salmonid · 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 🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 morePebbly fish A silver characin from African rivers and lakes.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreBrook trout A colorful freshwater char native to eastern North America, known for its spotted pattern and status as a popular game fSalmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1814 🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreLake trout Large freshwater char of northern lakesSalmonid · Rivers and lakes WorldBrown trout A widespread salmonid with river, lake and sea forms.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreDolly Varden trout A cold-water char native to the North Pacific rim.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1792 🇺🇸 United StatesLahontan cutthroat trout Large native trout of the Lahontan Basin in Nevada and surrounding states.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes
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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.