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.
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
The general name ‘triggerfish’ comes from the locking characteristic of the dorsal fin that all triggerfishes possess. The first dorsal-fin spine is large and strong and provides these fishes with some protection from predation. When it is erect (standing upright), it is locked in place by the second spine. The first spine can only be lowered after the … Read more
Stonefish are masters of camouflage and can blend in so perfectly with their surroundings that their prey, predators, and even human SCUBA divers have trouble seeing them at all. They almost always sit perfectly still, on the sea floor, in their preferred habitat of coral and rocky reefs, and their colors are often a perfect match … Read more
Adult Chinook salmon live in coastal seas and feed on pelagic invertebrates and other fishes. 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 can last anywhere between one and eight years. Once they reach reproductive size, they begin a … Read more
Observers typically only see the head and a small portion of the body, however, sticking out from a hiding place in the reef. Besides the occasional sick or wounded fish that wanders past their burrows, spotted morays do much of their hunting on the move, at night and during the twilight hours. They are also occasionally active … Read more
Chilean jack mackerel are filter feeders that eat fish larvae and small, pelagic crustaceans. Though they filter very small prey, they use their relatively large eyes and strong eyesight to increase the density of prey in the water that they filter. This strategy is in stark contrast to that used by the very large bodied filter … Read more
Queen parrotfish are herbivores that graze the reef, using their beaks to scrape plants and algae from the reef surface. Oftentimes, this habit involves ingesting corals and other animals as well, but they are primarily herbivorous. Through their feeding strategies, parrotfishes create much of the sand around a reef. Upon eating some species of calcareous algae (i.e., … Read more
Adult Atlantic salmon live in coastal seas and feed on pelagic invertebrates and some fishes. 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 typically lasts for 2-3 years. Once they reach reproductive size, they begin a long migration to … Read more
This species is known to occur on coral and rocky reefs throughout the world’s tropical and subtropical seas, likely because it lives in the open pelagic ocean until it reaches a size of approximately eight inches (20 cm). However, an extensive genetic study of the spotted porcupinefish may reveal the existence of different species in different ocean … Read more
Like many open ocean bony fishes, Atlantic bluefin tuna start out as extremely tiny larvae, no more than a few millimeters long and weighing only a few hundredths of a gram. Within three to five years, individuals reach lengths of three feet (1 m) and are sexually mature. Because Atlantic bluefin tunas undergo such an amazing transformation … 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.