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.
Though they spend much of their lives swimming among the tentacles of their host anemone, common clownfish occasionally leave to feed. They are plankton pickers, which means they visually seek and eat individual zooplankton or phytoplankton floating in the water column. They also likely eat algae from the reef surface. Because of the protection afforded them by their … Read more
The stoplight loosejaw is named for the two specialized light-producing organs that are located below each eye. One is green and one is red. Producing light in these two colors increases the ability of the stoplight loosejaw to see and attack its prey. There is very little light at the stoplight loosejaw’s preferred depth – 1700 to … Read more
Caribbean reefs with large numbers of predators, like Nassau groupers, are known to be healthier than reefs with no predators, so this species may represent an important part of the reef food web. During the majority of the year, Nassau groupers are reddish brown in coloration, with vertical light bars along the head and body. During mating, … Read more
Longsnout seahorses are very poor swimmers and rely on camouflage and bony plates that cover most of their bodies to avoid predation. Like other seahorses, the longsnout seahorse’s tail is highly maneuverable, and it uses this tail to attach itself to seagrasses, mangrove roots, sponges, soft corals, or other places where it hides. Longsnout seahorses eat tiny plankton … Read more
The whiptail gulper lives in very deep waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean from 6500 to 10,000 feet (2000-3000 m) below the sea surface. At that depth, food is scarce, and it is important to never pass up a meal when it becomes available. Some predators have long, needle-like teeth that they use to grasp lively prey, … Read more
True blue tangs are restricted to coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea and surrounding waters and are often confused with two other surgeonfishes that inhabit the same waters, the doctorfish and ocean surgeonfish, as all three species look similar. Furthermore, another surgeonfish that lives in the tropical Pacific Ocean (and was made famous as Dory in … Read more
The sturgeons are a very old group of fishes (over 200 million years old) and make up one of the most primitive lineages of bony fishes. Their dinosaur-like bodies match their prehistoric lineage. They are covered with strong bony plates; they have asymmetrical, shark-like tails; and they have barbels off of their long snouts that help … Read more
Atlantic wolffish are voracious predators, and the large head, powerful jaws, and large canine teeth are all used to hunt and eat hard-bodied or spiny invertebrates, such as sea urchins, crabs, large marine snails, etc. They reach lengths of up to five feet (1.5 m). Atlantic wolffish are usually solitary but form pairs during the … Read more
The Atlantic trumpetfish uses its large snout and triangle-shaped head to create a large amount of suction that is concentrated at the mouth (much like a straw), allowing it to easily suck in its prey of small fishes and mobile invertebrates (like shrimps). In order to succeed at this feeding strategy, the Atlantic trumpetfish utilizes a … Read more
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We have already protected over 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.