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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

Where they live

The water a fish lives in.

Rivers and lakesFresh water: rivers, streams, lakes and ponds.113Estuaries and mangrovesWhere rivers meet the sea: estuaries, backwaters and mangroves.29Coasts and shelvesShallow seas over the continental shelf.25Coral reefsThe warm, clear water of coral reefs.0Open oceanThe open sea, far from land, near the surface.28Deep seaThe dark water below 200 metres, down to the trenches.27Polar and cold seasThe Arctic and Southern Oceans and cold northern seas.0Caves and springsCave fish, desert springs and other isolated waters.1Between sea and riverFish that migrate between salt and fresh water to breed, like salmon and hilsa.35

Rivers and lakes

Rivers, lakes, streams and ponds hold less than one per cent of the Earth's water, yet about half of all known fish species live in them. Fresh water is broken into separate basins, and fish that cannot cross between them evolve apart, which is why each river system and lake has its own species

Estuaries and mangroves

Brackish water is the mix of fresh and salt water found in estuaries, lagoons, backwaters and mangrove creeks, where rivers meet the sea. Its saltiness rises and falls with the tides and the seasons, so only fish that can cope with change live there all the time

Coasts and shelves

The continental shelf is the shallow sea bed that fringes the continents, usually less than about 200 metres deep. It covers under a tenth of the ocean, but sunlight and nutrients from rivers and upwelling make it very productive, and most of the world's sea catch comes from it

Coral reefs

Coral reefs grow in warm, clear, shallow tropical seas, built by colonies of tiny coral animals that lay down limestone. They cover a very small part of the sea floor but hold roughly a quarter of all marine fish species, often thousands in one region

Open ocean

The open ocean, far from land, is the largest habitat for fish near the surface. Its sunlit upper layer, down to about 200 metres, is home to fast, wide-ranging fish: tuna, swordfish, marlin, sailfish, mahi-mahi, flying fish and oceanic sharks

Deep sea

Below 200 metres sunlight fades, and below about 1,000 metres it is completely dark. The deep sea is cold, under huge pressure and short of food, yet it is the largest living space on Earth and full of fish

Polar and cold seas

The Arctic and Southern Oceans and the cold northern seas hold fish that live in water near or below zero. Sea water freezes at about minus 1.9 degrees Celsius, and polar fish carry antifreeze proteins in their blood to stop ice crystals forming in their bodies

Caves and springs

Some fish live their whole lives in caves, underground rivers, aquifers, wells and isolated springs. More than 250 cave fish species are known

Between sea and river

Some fish move between the sea and fresh water to breed. Anadromous fish, such as salmon, hilsa, shad, many sturgeons and the sea lamprey, grow at sea and swim up rivers to spawn

The weekly digest

Every Monday: the fish of the day, new pages on EveryFish, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.