News
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. 81 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

RohuIndia's most eaten carp

Still to be written: Atlantic cod, Ilish, Skipjack tuna, Alaska pollock, Peruvian anchoveta, Indian mackerel, Atlantic herring.

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
🇮🇳 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 🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreSea lamprey A jawless, parasitic fish native to the Northern Hemisphere that attacks other fish.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇵🇭 Philippines and 4 moreMilkfish The sole living species of the family Chanidae, found across the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreSockeye salmon Anadromous Pacific salmon known for red spawning colour and zooplankton diet.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1792 🇷🇺 RussiaSterlet A small Eurasian sturgeon found in rivers flowing to the Black, Azov, and Caspian seas.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreLake sturgeon A large, long-lived freshwater fish native to North America.Ancient · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 Russia and 2 moreKaluga A massive semi-anadromous sturgeon from the Amur River basin hunted for caviar.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1872 🇺🇸 United StatesShovelnose sturgeon Smallest North American freshwater sturgeon, known for its shovel-shaped snout and caviar production.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1820 WorldLamprey Jawless fish with a sucking mouth found in temperate waters worldwide.Ancient · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇼 Botswana and 1 moreAfrican tigerfish Predatory freshwater fish known for sharp teeth and leaping hunting behaviour.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1861 🇺🇬 Uganda and 2 moreSilver cyprinid A small pelagic fish from Lake Victoria that supports regional food security.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇰🇪 Kenya and 4 moreRipon barbel A large freshwater cyprinid from East African lakes and rivers.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1900 🇺🇸 United StatesGuadalupe bass A rare Texas endemic black bass prized by anglers for its fighting spirit.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSauger A freshwater perch species native to North American rivers.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1834 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreTambaqui A large freshwater fish from South America known for its heavy body and seed-eating habits.Other · 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 🇺🇸 United StatesAmerican paddlefish Ancient freshwater fish with a sensory snout and filter-feeding habits.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1792 🇧🇷 BrazilBanded leporinus A striped freshwater fish from the Amazon kept in home tanks and occasionally caught by anglers.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldSnakehead Elongated freshwater predators with air-breathing organs found in Asia and Africa.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreArapaima Large freshwater fish from the Amazon basin known for its size and air-breathing ability.Ancient · Rivers and lakes Southeast AsiaGiant snakehead A large freshwater predator from Southeast Asia known for air breathing and invasive potential.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 2 moreSiamese mud carp Freshwater cyprinid native to Mekong and Chao Phraya riversCarp · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 ChinaChinese paddlefish A giant freshwater predator from China that is now extinct.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1862 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreBluegill A common North American sunfish known for its blue gill covers and popularity with anglers.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1854 WorldBasking shark The second-largest living fish, a slow-moving filter feeder found in temperate oceans worldwide.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1765 🇷🇺 Russia and 3 moreBurbot A coldwater freshwater fish with a chin whisker, native to the Northern Hemisphere.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇨🇳 China and 3 moreAsian swamp eel A freshwater, air-breathing fish native to Asia and introduced elsewhere.Eel · 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 🇧🇷 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

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.