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.
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
As they are ambush predators, their bodies are dark black, and even their stomachs are coated with black tissue to block out any light that might be produced by bioluminescent (light producing) animals that they eat. Along their dark bodies, Pacific blackdragons have several rows of specialized light cells, called photophores that are probably used to … Read more
Because yellowfin tunas undergo such an amazing transformation in size (from being nearly microscopic to being one of the largest open ocean predators), they eat a wide variety of prey, throughout their lifetimes. At a young age, they eat tiny zooplankton, and their prey increases in size as they do. As adults, they eat fairly large bony … Read more
While that may seem quite heavy, it is not very much for a fish that may reach lengths longer than a school bus. As a result of this general shape and the bright, silvery coloration and long, red fins, some people around the world know the oarfish as the ribbonfish. The first few elements of the dorsal … Read more
Like many species of damselfishes in the Caribbean and around the world, threespot damselfish are herbivores that cultivate a garden of their preferred algae. They carefully remove other algae and small invertebrates in order to encourage growth of their favorite species. The gardens serve two functions: 1) they provide a food source for the adult threespot damsels; … 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.