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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
EveryFish

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
🇦🇺 AustraliaKing George whiting A large coastal fish endemic to southern Australia, known for its spotted pattern and commercial value.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1829 🇿🇦 South Africa and 4 moreJapanese meagre A large saltwater fish found across the Indo-Pacific region.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇦🇺 AustraliaDusky flathead A large predatory fish found in Australian estuaries.Other · Estuaries and mangroves 🇳🇿 New Zealand and 3 moreHāpuku Large deep-water wreckfish prized for food and aquaculture.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇳🇿 New ZealandNew Zealand grayling Extinct amphidromous fish endemic to New Zealand rivers and seas.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 AustraliaAustralian herring A silver coastal fish from southern Australia.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1831 🇦🇺 AustraliaWestern blue groper Large, long-lived wrasse from southern Australian reefs.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1843 🇯🇵 JapanJapanese puffer A small-genome pufferfish used in genomics and cuisine.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldCommon seahorse A small, spotted seahorse found in Indo-Pacific coastal waters.Other · Estuaries and mangroves WorldMackerel icefish Antarctic fish with mild flesh and black dorsal finsOther · Coasts and shelves · 1905 🇺🇸 United StatesCalifornia grunion Small silvery fish that spawns on sandy beaches during high tides.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 WorldBlackspot threadfin Small marine fish with six chest filaments and a dark side spotOther · Coasts and shelves · 1801 WorldRed mullet Two species of goatfish found in the Mediterranean and Atlantic.Other · Coasts and shelves EuropeEuropean angler A bottom-dwelling Atlantic fish with a lure-tipped spine.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758 WorldStriped red mullet A striped goatfish from the Mediterranean and Atlantic.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇲🇽 MexicoTotoaba The largest drum fish, native to the Gulf of California and threatened by illegal trade.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldHoundfish A large pelagic needlefish found in tropical oceans worldwide.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1821 WorldHarry hotlips A reef fish with swollen lips and leaf-like juveniles.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1802 WorldJavelin grunter A marine grunt found in the Indo-Pacific coastal waters.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1830 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 WorldShrimp scad Tropical jack with a yellow tail found on reefs.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1775 WorldYellowtail scad Small coastal jack of the Indo-Pacific with distinctive yellow fins.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1833 WorldBartail flathead A widespread marine flathead found across the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758 WorldOrange-spotted grouper A large Indo-Pacific marine fish prized for its flesh and known for changing sex.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1822 WorldStriped mullet A widespread coastal food fish found in tropical and temperate seas.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldTigertooth croaker A silvery marine croaker found across the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1801 Blackspotted croaker 🇦🇺 Australia and 4 moreBlackspotted croaker Large Indo-Pacific marine fish prized for its high market value.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1802 WorldJapanese threadfin bream A pinkish marine fish used in crab sticks and fisheries across the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1791 🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreSmelt Small fish of the northern hemisphere known for spring runs and culinary traditions.Other · Rivers and lakes
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Every Monday: the fish of the day, new pages on EveryFish, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.