Some estimates report the world’s oceans are home to 20,000 species of fish. Ocean fishes come in all shapes, sizes, colors and live in drastically different depths and temperatures. Despite this diversity, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported in 2016 that 89.5% of fish stocks are fully fished or overfished.
Learn fun facts and how you can help you favorite ocean fishes – from Atlantic bluefin tuna to blue tang – by clicking a species below.
California grunion are plankton eaters; they eat small, pelagic crustaceans and other zooplankton. Though they eat very small prey, they use their relatively large eyes and strong eyesight to attack individual prey. This strategy is in stark contrast to that used by the very large bodied filter feeders (like whale sharks and basking sharks), which essentially feed blindly … Read more
The skipjack tuna is a common species in the open ocean that forms very large schools, often around floating objects. A single floating log or slowly moving adult whale shark may have tens of thousands of skipjack around it. There are several hypotheses as to why this phenomenon occurs, but scientists generally agree that skipjack use these objects – … Read more
Bluebanded gobies are microcarnivores. They eat small crustaceans on the reef surface and from the water column directly above the reef surface. These gobies often hide near or under sea urchins (and the holes/hiding places that urchins create), and they do not like to stray far from these hiding places. They almost never leave direct contact with the … Read more
Female sarcastic fringeheads, like all tube blennies, lay their eggs in a males’ shelter, and the males protect them from potential predators and other threats until they hatch. This sexual selection by females drives a system of intense male competition and territoriality. Male sarcastic fringeheads display to each other by opening their very large mouths in … Read more
Physically, the Atlantic cod and its close relatives are noted for being the only group of fishes that have three distinct dorsal fins (along the back) and two distinct anal fins (along the ventral surface). Atlantic cod spend most of their time on or near the seafloor but may be observed feeding higher up in the … Read more
The scarlet frogfish, like all frogfishes, is an anglerfish. Most anglerfishes (e.g., the humpback anglerfish) live in the deep sea, but the frogfishes comprise a family of shallow-water representatives of this large group of interesting fishes. The frogfishes have small fishing lures, made from modifications of their dorsal fins, which they use to attract small fishes. The scarlet frogfish … Read more
The red lionfish is an ambush predator. It moves very slowly and often sits perfectly still, waiting for small fishes to approach too closely, at which point it lunges aggressively toward its prey. At the same time, it extends its jaws forward, creating a large amount of suction, and easily swallowing the prey whole. This species is … Read more
Queen angelfish are foragers and eat a variety of sessile invertebrates and plants, including sponges, algae, corals, soft corals, and others. Juveniles clean parasites and loose scales off of large fishes, including some that are predatory. These angelfish are typically observed alone or in pairs, but higher densities form in some areas. Queen angelfish reproduce via broadcast spawning, … Read more
Adult pink salmon live in coastal seas and feed mostly on pelagic invertebrates. During the oceanic portion of their life cycle, these fish are primarily concerned with growing and storing energy that they will require for successful reproduction. This period lasts only a couple of years. Once they reach reproductive age (at two years old), they begin a … Read more
Ocean sunfish are foraging predators that will eat a variety of food, but their preferred prey are jellyfishes. Jellyfishes are almost exclusively made up of water and are low in calories/nutrients, so a fish with a body as large as the ocean sunfish’s has to eat a whole lot of jellyfishes to support its weight. They have … Read more
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We have already protected nearly 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.