Sport fishing
Prized by anglers. 283 fish on EveryFish so far.
Sport fishing, or recreational angling, is fishing for enjoyment rather than a living. Hundreds of millions of people fish this way, from children with a line in a pond to anglers who travel the world for marlin, tarpon or mahseer. Game fish are prized for their fight, size, wariness or the places they live. Catch and release, in which fish are returned alive, has become common for many species.
Game fish of India
The mahseers of the Himalaya and the Western Ghats are India's great game fish, known for their power in fast rivers. British anglers wrote about them from the 19th century, and camps on the Kaveri ran catch and release fishing for the hump-backed mahseer for decades. Trout introduced into Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and the Nilgiris draw anglers to cold streams. Sea anglers fish for giant trevally, barracuda and sailfish off Goa, Karnataka and the Andaman Islands.
Rules and conservation
Recreational fishing is a large industry in North America, Europe and Australia, and it funds a good deal of fish conservation through licence fees. Anglers can also put real pressure on stocks, so many countries set seasons, bag limits and minimum sizes. The International Game Fish Association, founded in 1939, keeps world records and promotes ethical angling. Catch and release survival depends on careful handling, short fights and quick return.
Famous sport fishing fish
Golden mahseerThe golden mahseer of Himalayan rivers
Orange-finned mahseerThe hump-backed mahseer of the Kaveri
Atlantic tarponA leaping fish of warm coasts
Largemouth bassAmerica's most popular sport fish
Brown troutStocked for anglers across the world
Giant trevallyA powerful reef predator
BonefishA fast fish of tropical flatsStill to be written: Atlantic blue marlin.
Further reading
GroupSharkRayCarpCatfishSalmonidHerringCodTunaPerch-likeCichlidReef fishEelFlatfishLivebearerAncientOther
WorldGreat white shark
A large, globally distributed predator known for its size and apex status in marine ecosystems.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1758
WorldCopper shark
Temperate requiem shark with bronze skin and hooked teethShark · Coasts and shelves · 1870
WorldPelagic thresher
The smallest thresher shark, found in tropical oceans and known for its whip-like tail.Shark · Open ocean · 1935
WorldSalmon shark
A warm-blooded mackerel shark of the northern PacificShark · Coasts and shelves
WorldMilk shark
A small coastal requiem shark found in tropical waters worldwide.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1837
WorldCommon thresher
The largest thresher shark, known for its whip-like tail used to stun prey in cool coastal and open waters.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1788
WorldPorbeagle
A fast, cold-water mackerel shark found in the Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1788
WorldGiant sunfish
The heaviest bony fish in the world, found in warm oceans.Shark · Open ocean · 1842
🇿🇦 South Africa and 4 moreWhale shark
The largest living fish species, a gentle giant of tropical oceans.Shark · Open ocean · 1829
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreGreen sturgeon
A large anadromous fish native to the northern Pacific Ocean.Shark · Coasts and shelves
WorldTiger shark
A large predatory shark known for its striped pattern and diverse diet.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1822
WorldRequiem shark
A family of migratory, live-bearing sharks found in warm seas worldwide.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1896
WorldBroadnose sevengill shark
A large coastal shark with seven gill slits and spotted skin.Shark · Coasts and shelves
🇺🇸 United States and 3 morePacific angelshark
A flat-bodied ambush shark of the eastern Pacific coast.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1859
WorldSpinner shark
A fast requiem shark known for spinning leaps out of water.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1839
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreCaribbean reef shark
Large requiem shark of western Atlantic coral reefsShark · Coasts and shelves · 1876
🇦🇺 AustraliaGummy shark
A bottom-dwelling shark from southern Australia known for its crushing teeth and commercial fillets.Shark · Coasts and shelves
🇦🇺 AustraliaEpaulette shark
A small carpet shark that walks on coral reefs and survives low oxygen.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1788
WorldBigeye thresher
Deep-diving shark with huge eyes and a long tail.Shark · Open ocean · 1840
WorldGalapagos shark
Large requiem shark of tropical oceanic islandsShark · Coasts and shelves · 1905
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreBonnethead
A small hammerhead shark with a spade-shaped head and omnivorous diet.Shark · Coasts and shelves
WorldBlue shark
A slender, deep-blue oceanic shark found in temperate and tropical seas worldwide.Shark · Open ocean
WorldTawny nurse shark
A large Indo-Pacific carpet shark known for octopus hunting and spitting water.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1831
WorldDusky shark
Large migratory requiem shark found in warm seas worldwide.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1818
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreAcadian redfish
A deep-water rockfish native to the northwestern Atlantic Ocean.Shark · Deep sea · 1854
WorldShortfin mako shark
Fastest known shark species, reaching speeds of 74 km/h.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1809
WorldZebra shark
A carpet shark with changing patterns, found in Indo-Pacific reefs.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1781
WorldGrouper
Marine ray-finned fish in the family Epinephelidae, known for large size and commercial value.Shark · Coasts and shelves
WorldThresher shark
Large pelagic sharks with tails as long as their bodies, used to stun prey.Shark · Open ocean
WorldBarracuda
Large predatory saltwater fish with sharp teeth found in tropical oceans.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1758
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Great white shark: Sharkdiver.com, Public domain, source
- Copper shark: Robert Nyman, CC BY 2.0, source
- Pelagic thresher: Pierre Pericard, CC BY 4.0, source
- Salmon shark: PIRO-NOAA Observer Program, Public domain, source
- Milk shark: Karunakar Rayker, CC BY 2.0, source
- Common thresher: User:Yzx, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Porbeagle: NOAA, Public domain, source
- Largemouth bass: Totti, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Giant sunfish: Henry Barnes Snr / Australian Museum, Public domain, source
- Whale shark: User:Zac Wolf (original), en:User:Stefan (cropping), CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Green sturgeon: Muséum d'histoire Naturelle, Public domain, source
- Golden mahseer: Khalid Mahmood, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tiger shark: Albert kok, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Brown trout: Duane Raver, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain, source
- Broadnose sevengill shark: José María Pérez Nuñez, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Pacific angelshark: Chris_huh, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Spinner shark: Jean-Lou Justine, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Caribbean reef shark: Albert kok, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gummy shark: F. Schönfeld, Public domain, source
- Epaulette shark: This illustration was made by Citron You must credit this : Citron / C, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bigeye thresher: PIRO-NOAA Observer Program, Public domain, source
- Galapagos shark: Andrew J. Green / Reef Life Survey, CC BY 4.0, source
- Bonnethead: Valerie Everett, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Blue shark: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tawny nurse shark: David Burdick, Public domain, source
- Dusky shark: Happy Little Nomad, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Acadian redfish: Steven G. Johnson, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bonefish: Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, source
- Giant trevally: Dr. Dwayne Meadows, NOAA/NMFS/OPR, Public domain, source
- Atlantic tarpon: Daiju Azuma, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Orange-finned mahseer: A. J. T. Johnsingh, WWF-India and NCF, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shortfin mako shark: Mark Conlin, SWFSC Large Pelagics Program, Public domain, source
- Zebra shark: jon hanson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Grouper: Photo2222, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Thresher shark: Pierre Pericard, CC BY 4.0, source
- Barracuda: Unknown author, Public domain, source