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RiversEl Niño seen disrupting fish migration patternsSpeciesScientists 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-NicolaRiversEl Niño seen disrupting fish migration patternsSpeciesScientists 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-Nicola
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Coasts and shelves

Shallow seas over the continental shelf. 538 fish on EveryFish so far.

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. Coastal seas hold schools of sardines and mackerel near the surface and cod, croakers and flatfish near the bottom.

India's coastal fisheries

India has a long coastline, remeasured in 2024 at more than 11,000 km, and most of its sea catch comes from the shelf. Oil sardine and mackerel dominate on the south-west coast, Bombay duck, pomfret and ribbonfish in the north-west, and hilsa, croakers and prawns in the Bay of Bengal. Small-scale fishers work close to shore, while trawlers and purse seiners fish further out. Mechanised fishing stops for 61 days each year during the monsoon breeding season.

Pressure on the shelf

Because shelf seas are close to land and easy to reach, they are heavily fished. Bottom trawling catches many young fish and disturbs the sea bed. Pollution from rivers, coastal building and the loss of mangroves and sea grass affect nurseries. In many seas, catches have shifted from large, valuable fish to smaller ones as the larger fish have been fished out. Marine protected areas and closed seasons are the main tools used to rebuild stocks.

Famous coasts and shelves fish

Indian mackerelA schooling fish of India's coastsIndian oil sardineKerala's main catchBombay duckCaught in tidal nets off Gujarat and MaharashtraSilver pomfretSilver pomfret of the shelfLargehead hairtailRibbonfish, a major exportAtlantic codThe fish of the North Atlantic shelvesEuropean plaiceA flatfish of the North SeaAtlantic herringSchools over the shelves of the North Atlantic

Further reading

GroupSharkRayCarpCatfishSalmonidHerringCodTunaPerch-likeCichlidReef fishEelFlatfishLivebearerAncientOther
UseFood fishFarmedAquarium fishSport fishingCulture and faithVenomous or dangerousInvasiveScience and research
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy size
WorldQueen triggerfish Large, colourful reef fish of the tropical Atlantic.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758 🇵🇭 Philippines and 4 moreMilkfish The sole living species of the family Chanidae, found across the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇯🇵 Japan and 2 moreAyu sweetfish Small amphidromous fish prized for its sweet flesh in East Asia.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1846 Indian threadfin 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 2 moreIndian threadfin A large coastal fish with distinctive long fin filaments.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1804 WorldSpotted scat A spotted, square-bodied fish from Indo-Pacific estuaries.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1766 WorldGreater lizardfish A cigar-shaped predatory fish of the Indo-Pacific muddy bottoms.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldBigeye scad Tropical marine fish with large eyes and metallic blue skinOther · Coasts and shelves · 1793 WorldAtlantic wolffish A cold-water North Atlantic fish with crushing teeth and parental care.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758 WorldWhite marlin A fast-swimming billfish of the Atlantic Ocean.Other · Open ocean · 1860 🇦🇺 Australia and 1 moreAustralian ghostshark A cartilaginous fish native to southern Australia and New Zealand waters.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldBlue-spotted grouper A widely distributed Indo-Pacific grouper known for its blue spots and invasive impact in Hawaii.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldOriental sweetlips Striped reef fish with swollen lips found in the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758 WorldSeahorse Small marine fish with horse-like heads and curled tails in the genus Hippocampus.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreGar Ancient armored fish with lung-like swim bladders found in North American waters.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇦🇴 Angola and 3 moreAtlantic mudskipper Semi-aquatic goby that walks on mudflats in West Africa.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1766 EuropeAtlantic horse mackerel Slender jack mackerel of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldAnglerfish Ray-finned fish using a modified dorsal fin ray as a lure to catch prey.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1829 🇦🇷 Argentina and 4 moreArgentinian silverside A large, adaptable silverside native to South America.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldWrasse A large family of colourful marine fish known for sex change and cleaning symbiosis.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves WorldPorcupinefish Spiny marine fish that inflate into a defensive sphere to deter predators.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldGoatfish Benthic fish with chin barbels found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758 WorldBigeye trevally A large marine fish found in tropical oceans, known for its nocturnal hunting and distinctive dark dorsal fin.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1825 WorldYellowstripe goatfish A small Indo-Pacific reef fish with yellow fins and shrimp-like taste.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldLongfin batfish A silver marine fish with elongated juvenile fins found across the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldOrbicular batfish A round, silvery marine fish native to the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldGreat barracuda Large predatory fish found in warm oceans worldwide.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreReef stonefish A highly venomous marine fish known for its rock-like camouflage and potent toxins.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1801 EuropeRabbit fish Deep-water cartilaginous fish with a rabbit-like headOther · Coasts and shelves WorldRoundscale spearfish Atlantic billfish often mistaken for white marlinOther · Open ocean · 1841 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 WorldPomfret A family of scombriform fish found in oceans worldwide, valued as food.Other · Open ocean WorldStriped marlin Fast pelagic predator with blue stripesOther · Open ocean 🇺🇸 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 🇩🇪 Germany and 4 moreEuropean smelt Small coastal fish with a cucumber scentOther · Rivers and lakes WorldPacific sand lance Small forage fish of the North Pacific that burrows in sandOther · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United StatesSpotted seatrout Estuarine drum fish of the US southeast coastOther · Estuaries and mangroves North AmericaAtlantic croaker Noisy marine fish of the western Atlantic coastOther · Coasts and shelves WorldBluefish Aggressive marine pelagic fish found in temperate and subtropical waters worldwide.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United StatesFlorida pompano A fast-growing marine fish prized for food and sport fishing.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldEscolar Deep-ocean fish with high oil content often mislabelled as tuna.Other · Coasts and shelves EuropeRed gurnard A bright red bottom-dwelling fish of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758 🇦🇺 Australia and 1 moreYellowtail amberjack Large pelagic fish of the Southern Hemisphere oceansOther · Coasts and shelves · 1833 WorldGreater amberjack Large predatory jack found in warm seas worldwide.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1810 🇯🇵 Japan and 2 moreJapanese amberjack A prized jack fish native to the northwest Pacific Ocean.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreLingcod A large predatory fish of the North American Pacific coast.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreEuropean hake A predatory demersal fish of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreNorth Pacific hake A silver-gray marine fish found in the northeast Pacific Ocean, used for surimi production.Other · Coasts and shelves
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Every Monday: the fish of the day, new pages on EveryFish, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.