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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
🇺🇸 United StatesCalifornia golden trout Native high-elevation trout of the Sierra NevadaSalmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1892 🇮🇹 Italy and 4 moreMarble trout Adriatic freshwater salmonid with marbled skinSalmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇹 Austria and 4 moreHuchen A large freshwater salmonid native to the Danube basin in Central and Eastern Europe.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 Russia and 3 moreSiberian taimen The world's largest salmonid, found in Eurasian rivers.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 Russia and 1 moreSakhalin taimen Large, ancient salmonid of Northeast AsiaSalmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreGrayling A cold-water salmonid fish native to European rivers, prized by anglers for its distinctive dorsal fin.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreArctic grayling A cold-water salmon relative with a large, colourful dorsal fin.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1776 WorldCowtail stingray Large Indo-Pacific stingray with a distinctive tail fold.Ray · Rivers and lakes WorldSawfish Large rays with a toothed rostrum found in tropical coastal waters.Ray · Coasts and shelves 🇿🇦 South Africa and 4 moreSmallmouth yellowfish A hardy sport fish native to South Africa's Orange-Vaal river system.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 3 moreGiant freshwater stingray The widest freshwater fish in the world, found in Southeast Asian rivers.Ray · Rivers and lakes · 1852 🇺🇸 United States and 3 morePacific angelshark A flat-bodied ambush shark of the eastern Pacific coast.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1859 🇿🇦 South AfricaClanwilliam yellowfish A golden-hued river fish from South Africa's Cederberg.Carp · Rivers and lakes WorldMullet A worldwide family of coastal ray-finned fish known for their distinct dorsal fins and historical culinary value.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇹🇷 Turkey and 4 moreAnchovy Small, oily forage fish found in oceans and some rivers worldwide.Herring · Coasts and shelves 🇿🇦 South Africa and 2 moreLargemouth yellowfish Large freshwater barb from southern African rivers.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇿 Tanzania and 2 moreSleek lates A freshwater perch found only in Lake Tanganyika, valued by local fisheries.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreEulachon A small anadromous smelt known for its high fat content and cultural importance in Pacific North America.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇲🇼 MalawiKampango A large predatory catfish native to the waters of Lake Malawi.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇩🇪 Germany and 4 moreEuropean smelt Small coastal fish with a cucumber scentOther · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreAmerican eel A catadromous fish that migrates between North American rivers and the Sargasso Sea to spawn.Eel · Rivers and lakes 🇫🇮 Finland and 4 moreVendace Small freshwater whitefish of northern EuropeSalmonid · Rivers and lakes North AmericaAtlantic croaker Noisy marine fish of the western Atlantic coastOther · Coasts and shelves EuropeEuropean flounder A right-eyed flatfish found in European coastal waters and rivers.Flatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇿🇦 South Africa and 4 moreMozambique tilapia A hardy cichlid from southeastern Africa, now farmed globally and listed as a major invasive species.Cichlid · 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 🇮🇪 IrelandTwait shad Anadromous herring-like fish with flank spotsHerring · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreNorthern pike A large freshwater ambush predator found across the Northern Hemisphere.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreEuropean perch A greenish freshwater predator native to Europe and North Asia.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1758 EuropeAllis shad Anadromous Atlantic fish with a dark gill spot.Herring · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreLake whitefish A cool-water freshwater fish from North America.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 Australia and 4 moreLargetooth sawfish A critically endangered ray with a toothed rostrum that enters rivers.Ray · Rivers and lakes WorldGiant catfish Large estuarine catfish found across the Indo-Pacific.Catfish · Estuaries and mangroves · 1837 🇸🇳 Senegal and 4 moreAfrican arowana Plankton-eating bonytongue fish native to African riversOther · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇮 Burundi and 3 moreNingu A freshwater carp found in Lake Victoria and its tributaries.Carp · Rivers and lakes WorldNorthern whiting A widespread marine fish found in the Indo-Pacific, known for its silvery body and ability to bury itself in sand.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1775 Common ponyfish WorldCommon ponyfish A small, silvery marine fish found in Indo-Pacific coastal waters.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldBloch's gizzard shad Small anadromous fish found across the Indo-West Pacific.Herring · Rivers and lakes · 1795 WorldTanganyika lates Large predatory perch from Lake TanganyikaPerch-like · Rivers and lakes WorldBartail flathead A widespread marine flathead found across the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreClimbing perch Amphibious freshwater fish capable of breathing air and moving on land.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1792 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreAsian stinging catfish A small freshwater catfish with a painful stingCatfish · Rivers and lakes WorldGuntea loach A small Asian loach that breathes through its gut to survive in poor water.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 4 moreSwamp barb Small tropical freshwater fish from South AsiaCarp · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 2 moreDwarf gourami Small South Asian freshwater fish with vibrant colours.Other · Rivers and lakes Banded gourami 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 4 moreBanded gourami Small tropical air-breathing fish with striped patternsPerch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1801 🇮🇳 IndiaSun catfish A yellow catfish with a black shoulder spot from India.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 IndiaPondicherry shark A rare, small grey requiem shark from Indo-Pacific coasts.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1839
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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.