News
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
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreGiant mudskipper Large amphibious goby found in Indo-Pacific mangroves.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldSwordfish Large migratory fish with a long flat bill, sole member of its family.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreStriped bass Anadromous marine fish native to the Atlantic coast of North America, known for sport fishing and culinary use.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 Australia and 4 moreBarramundi A catadromous fish found across the Indo-West Pacific, valued for sport and aquaculture.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 4 moreParadise threadfin A yellow-finned ray-finned fish from South and Southeast Asia.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldGrey triggerfish A hardy Atlantic fish known for its locking dorsal spines and tough skin.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1789 WorldBlack marlin Largest marlin species in tropical Indo-Pacific watersOther · Coasts and shelves · 1832 WorldPufferfish Toxic fish that inflate into spiny spheres for defence.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreAtlantic goliath grouper A massive saltwater fish found in the Atlantic Ocean, known for its size and protected status.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇨🇦 Canada and 3 moreSturgeon Ancient fish with bony plates and heterocercal tails, known for caviar.Ancient · Rivers and lakes WorldMackerel A group of pelagic fish known for their speed, stripes, and role in global fisheries.Tuna · Open ocean WorldMahi-mahi Fast-growing tropical surface fish with vivid coloursOther · Coasts and shelves · 1758 WorldGrouper Marine ray-finned fish in the family Epinephelidae, known for large size and commercial value.Shark · Coasts and shelves 🇳🇿 New ZealandBlue cod A temperate marine fish endemic to New Zealand known for its blue-green colour and territorial behaviour.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldCobia A large, solitary marine fish found in warm tropical and subtropical waters worldwide.Other · Coasts and shelves Capelin WorldCapelin Small forage fish of the smelt family found in northern oceans.Other · Open ocean 🇳🇿 New Zealand and 1 moreSprat Small forage fish of the genus Sprattus and related genera in the herring family.Herring · Coasts and shelves WorldBeluga sturgeon A massive anadromous fish from the Caspian and Black Sea basins, prized for its caviar.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreRed drum A reddish game fish with a tail spot found in US coastal waters.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldJohn Dory Coastal marine fish with a dark spot and binocular visionOther · Coasts and shelves 🇮🇸 Iceland and 2 moreLumpfish A round, sucker-finned fish from the North Atlantic, prized for its roe and use in salmon farming.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758 🇳🇿 New Zealand and 3 moreBlue grenadier A slender, silvery deep-sea fish from the Southern Hemisphere.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldSilver pomfret Buttery white fish of the Indo-Pacific coastsOther · Coasts and shelves 🇨🇳 ChinaLarge yellow croaker A golden marine fish farmed in East Asia.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1846 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreSmall yellow croaker Temperate western Pacific croaker with red lips and gold bellyOther · Coasts and shelves WorldDorab wolf-herring Slender coastal fish of the Indo-PacificOther · Coasts and shelves WorldBarracuda Large predatory saltwater fish with sharp teeth found in tropical oceans.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1758 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreIndian sillago A small coastal whiting found in India and Oman.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1985
Previous

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.