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Anchovies are small, green fish with blue reflections due to a silver-colored longitudinal stripe that runs from the base of the caudal (tail) fin. They range from 2 to 40 centimetres (1 to 15 1⁄2 inches) in adult length,and their body shapes are variable with more slender fish in northern populations. Anchovies are found in scattered areas throughout the world's oceans, but are concentrated in temperate waters, and are rare or absent in very cold or very warm seas. They are generally very accepting of a wide range of temperatures and salinity. Large schools can be found in shallow, brackish areas with muddy bottoms, as in estuaries and bays. The European anchovy is abundant in the Mediterranean, particularly in the Alboran Sea,Aegean Sea and the Black Sea.
This species is regularly caught along the coasts of Crete, Greece, Sicily, Italy, France, Turkey, Northern Iran, Portugal and Spain. They are also found on the coast of northern Africa. The range of the species also extends along the Atlantic coast of Europe to the south of Norway. Spawning occurs between October and March, but not in water colder than 12 °C (54 °F). The anchovy appears to spawn at least 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the shore, near the surface of the water.
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It is an oval-shaped fish with a curved profile, with a large head and a small mouth. The oral cavity is orange, the body is golden with pink tones and the belly is white. It has a black spot at the base of the pectoral fins.
It inhabits areas of about 500 m in depth that contain with algae. It feeds on molluscs, small crustaceans and worms.
It is usually about 25 cm long, but it can reach 35 cm in length.
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he ballan wrasse is a large, heavy bodied wrasse with a relatively deep body and large head. It has a smallish mouth which is surrounded by thick, fleshy, rather wrinkled lips, and the jaws are armed with a single row of robust teeth which are sharp and pointed in young fish but blunter and more worn in older fish. It has a long dorsal fin which has 18–21 spines in its anterior portion and 9–13 branched rays in the rear part. The anal fin is markedly shorter and has three spines. It has large scales with 41–47 of them in the lateral line. The juvenile fish are coloured to match their habitat and vary in from light green to dark green, with some being described as bright emerald green. The adults are more variable in colour, as they can either be dark green or reddish brown but are marked all over with numerous white spots. It can grow to 65.9 cm (25.9 in) in total length (though most do not exceed 50 cm (20 in) standard length), and the greatest recorded weight of this species is 4.4 kg (9.7 lb). Ballan wrasses are prototgynous hermaphrodites.
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The Black Sea sprat, Clupeonella cultriventris, is a small fish of the herring family, Clupeidae. It is found in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov and rivers of its basins: Danube, Dnister, Dnipro (Ukraine), Southern Bug, Don, Kuban. It has white-grey flesh and silver-grey scales. A typical size is 10 cm (maximum 15 cm).The life span is of up to 5 years. The peak of its spawning is in April and it can be found in enormous shoals in sea-shores, filled all-round coastal shallows, moving quickly back in the sea at a depth of 6–30 metres. Used for food; it has around 12% fat in flesh.
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The blue whiting is one of the two species in the genus Micromesistius in the family Gadidae, which also contains cod, haddock, whiting, and pollock. It is common in the northeast Atlantic Ocean from Morocco to Iceland and Spitsbergen. It also occurs in the northern parts of the Mediterranean, where it may be locally abundant. Blue whiting also appears in the northwest Atlantic Ocean between Canada and Greenland but is considered rare. It has a long, narrow body and a silvery underbody. The fish can attain a length of more than 40 cm. The average size of blue whiting caught off the western shores of the UK is 31 cm. in the Southern Hemisphere.
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The bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) is the only extant species of the family Pomatomidae. It is a marine pelagic fish found around the world in temperate and subtropical waters, except for the northern Pacific Ocean. Bluefish are known as tailor in Australia and New Zealand, elf and shad in South Africa. It is a popular gamefish and food fish.
The bluefish is a moderately proportioned fish, with a broad, forked tail. The spiny first dorsal fin is normally folded back in a groove, as are its pectoral fins. Coloration is a grayish blue-green dorsally, fading to white on the lower sides and belly. Its single row of teeth in each jaw is uniform in size, knife-edged, and sharp. Bluefish commonly range in size from seven-inch (18-cm) 'snappers' to much larger, sometimes weighing as much as 40 lb (18 kg), though fish heavier than 20 lb (9 kg) are exceptional.
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Boops (from Ancient Greekβόωψ, literally 'cow-eye'), commonly called the bogue, is a species of seabream native to the eastern Atlantic. Its common name in most languages refers to its giant ('bug') eyes. The species is found off the coasts of Europe, Africa, the Azores, and the Canary Islands, from Norway to Angola, and in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. It avoids brackish waters such as the Baltic Sea. A demersal and semi-pelagic feeder can generally be found at a depth of 100 m (330 ft) and infrequently down to 350 m (1,150 ft).
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Bonitos are a tribe of medium-sized, ray-finned predatory fish in the family Scombridae – a family it shares with the mackerel, tuna, and Spanish mackerel tribes, and also the butterfly kingfish.Also called the tribe Sardini, it consists of eight species across four genera; three of those four genera are monotypic, having a single species each. Bonitos closely resemble the skipjack tuna.
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The chub mackerel, Pacific mackerel, or Pacific chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) is a species of fish in the tuna and mackerel family, Scombridae. This species of mackerel closely resembles the Atlantic chub mackerel.The chub mackerel has a well-developed swim bladder attached with the esophagus, which the 'true mackerels' in the genus Scomber lack, and a characteristic color difference is seen between the chub and the Atlantic chub, the latter being silvery-sided below the midline, whereas the lower part of the sides of the chub (otherwise colored somewhat like the Atlantic) are mottled with small dusky blotches, and the chub has a larger eye than the Atlantic. Less obvious differences are that the dorsal fins are closer together in the chub and only 9 or 10 spines are in its first dorsal fin instead of 11 or more, which is the usual count in the Atlantic mackerel. In most species, the mackerel is known to travel in large schools. It is a smaller fish than its better-known relatives, growing to a length around 8 to 14 inches (20 to 36 cm). Chub mackerel school like Atlantic mackerel, and their feeding habits are much the same, eating the same species of pelagic crustaceans and Sagittae that the mackerel had taken at the same time and place, while specimens taken at Woods Hole ate chiefly copepods, to a lesser extent on amphipods, salps, appendicularians, and young herring. They follow thrown bait as readily and bite quite as greedily as Atlantic mackerel do. Their breeding habits have not been studied.
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The common sole, Dover sole, or black sole (Solea solea), is a species of flatfish in the family Soleidae. It is one of the largest fish in the sole genus. It lives on the sandy or muddy seabed of the northern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea, where it often semi-immerses itself in the substrate. The upper side is greyish-brown, while the underside is white. It grows to a maximum length of about 70 cm (28 in). The species is prized as a food fish, caught mainly through trawling on the seabed.
The small eyes are close to each other on the right side of the body. This gives the fish the possibility of lurking half-buried in the sand for passing prey. The common sole, just like all other flatfishes, hatches as an 'ordinary' fish with one eye on each side of the body. The young metamorphose to flatfish when they are about one centimeter long. The upper side is greyish-brown, and the underside is white. The common sole approaches a maximum length of 70 cm (28 in). In the UK, a small sole is commercially called a 'slip.' The Dover sole feeds at night. Its diet consists of worms, mollusks, and crustaceans.
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The gilt-head (sea) bream (Sparus aurata), known as Orata in antiquity and still today in Italy and Tunisia (known as 'Dorada' in Spain, 'Dourada' in Portugal, and 'Dorade Royale' in France), is a fish of the bream family Sparidae found in the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern coastal regions of the North Atlantic Ocean. It commonly reaches about 35 cm. (1.15 ft) in length but may reach 70 cm (2.3 ft) and weigh up to about 7.36 kg (16.2 lb).
It is typically found at depths of 0–30 meters (0–98 ft) but may occur up to 150 m (490 ft), seen singly or in small groups near seagrass or over sandy bottoms, sometimes in estuaries during the spring.
It mainly feeds on shellfish but also some plant material.
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The goldline darter (Percina aurolineata) is a small species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is found in the United States, primarily in the Cahaba River in central Alabama and the Coosa River in Georgia and Alabama. It is a small fish seldom exceeding 3 in (7.6 cm) in length. It is typically found in areas with moderate to swift currents and a water depth of over 2 ft (60 cm), in the main channels of free-flowing rivers with a rock, cobble or boulder base and aquatic plants. It has been federally listed as a threatened species since April 22, 1992, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified its conservation status as being 'vulnerable'. The goldline darter (Percina aurolineata) is a small species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is found in the United States, primarily in the Cahaba River in central Alabama and the Coosa River in Georgia and Alabama. It is a small fish seldom exceeding 3 in (7.6 cm) in length. It is typically found in areas with moderate to swift currents and a water depth of over 2 ft (60 cm), in the main channels of free-flowing rivers with a rock, cobble or boulder base and aquatic plants. It has been federally listed as a threatened species since April 22, 1992, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified its conservation status as being 'vulnerable'. This fish is endemic to the Cahaba River system in central Alabama and the Coosa River system in Georgia and Alabama. There are two disjunct populations of goldline darters in the Alabama River Basin in addition to the population in the Mobile Basin. One of these groups occurs in the middle Cahaba River system, while the other is found in the Coosawattee River system, which is a tributary of the Coosa River.
This species prefers to live in areas with moderate to swift current and a water depth of over 2 feet in the main channels of free-flowing rivers. These areas where it is most common have a bottom of bedrock, cobble, or small boulders and contain patches of water willow or other river weed. As in other Hadropterus subgenus members, the goldline darter spawns beginning in March and continues spawning through May or June.
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Hake is one of the most important demersal fish stocks in European waters, and is commonly caught in mixed fisheries throughout the North East Atlantic, along with cod, haddock and whiting.
Hake can live for as much as 20 years, and reach a maximum size of 140 cm and 15kg, but their average size is closer to 45 cm. They reach sexual maturity at around three to four years of age. They are usually found in waters between 75 and 400 metres in depth, and tend to live close to the seabed in daytime, leaving it to swim up the water column only at night.
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The Mediterranean horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus), also known as the Black Sea horse mackerel, horse mackerel, Mediterranean scad, common scad, or simply scad, is a species of mackerel in the family Carangidae found in the eastern Atlantic from Bay of Biscay to Mauritania, including the Mediterranean Sea. It is a benthopelagic, subtropical, marine fish that can reach up to 60 cm (24 in) in length. In the countries near the Mediterranean and Black Seas, it makes up a significant portion of fish catch, 54% of fish caught in the latter. Despite overfishing in the 1980s, catch numbers have leveled out and it is listed as least concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The Mediterranean horse mackerel has an elongated, compressed body (up to 60 cm (24 in) in length, common length 30 cm (12 in)) with a large head and projected lower jaw. The nostrils are small and close-set and the eyes are protected by a well-developed adipose eyelid. Its upper jaw, or maxilla, is also large and wide. Its body is a dusky color, blue to grey to black in color dorsally and on top of the head, while the lower two-thirds of the body is white to silver in color. Its caudal fin is yellow and it has a distinct black mark just posterior to the operculum. It has 36-41 gillrakers and the anal fin is preceded by two separate spines.
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Northern bluefin tuna is found throughout the Atlantic Ocean, as well as in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. It is a warm-blooded fish which can live for up to 40 years, and grow to over 4 metres in length and 600 kg in weight. Typical specimens are around 2.5 metres long and weigh around 350 kg. Like other tunas, bluefin is highly migratory.
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The rainbow wrasse is a fish with an elongated, bony body, slightly compressed, a long head with a short beak. It has two colourings, one for the females and young males and another for the adult males (sexual dichromatism). The young individuals and the females are reddish brown with a yellow transversal line, flanked by two white lines and a white belly. The males’ backs are blue-green and they have a white or yellowish belly, with an orange transversal line in a zigzag.
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Red mullet is a goatfish found in the Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Marmara, the Black Sea, and the eastern North Atlantic Ocean, whose range extends from Scandinavia to Senegal.
The red mullet can grow to a standard length of 30 cm (12 in), but a more common length is about half. The body is somewhat laterally compressed. The snout is short and steep, and there are no spines on the operculum. The upper jaw is toothless, but there are teeth on the roof of the mouth and the lower jaw. A pair of moderately long barbels on the chin does not exceed the pectoral fins in length. The first dorsal fin has eight spines (the first one tiny), and the second dorsal fin has one spine and eight soft rays. This fish is rose-pink, without distinctive markings on its fins.
The red mullet is found in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the northeastern and central eastern Atlantic Ocean. Its range extends from Scandinavia southwards to Senegal, including the Canary Islands, Azores, and Madeira. It is a demersal fish and occurs at depths ranging from 10 to 328 m (30 to 1,080 ft) over muddy, sandy, or gravel bottoms
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Red sea breams are elliptical and narrow, with longer-than-average pectoral fins in back. Their bodies are light red on the back and white on the belly. This fish can be found year-round in relatively deep areas.
Adults tend to inhabit areas near rocky reefs and sandy shallows. Newly hatched juveniles start snacking on plankton and other tiny creatures almost as soon as they hatch. As they grow, they start to develop a taste for smaller fish, crustaceans, and even shellfish.
The word 'bream' is used to describe many different genera and families, including some freshwater fish like the carp bream. In fact, it seems that all breams were named after their freshwater cousins. The name now applies to any fish with a similar shape.
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'Sardine' and 'pilchard' are common names for various small, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The terms 'sardine' and 'pilchard' are not precise, and what is meant depends on the region. For example, the United Kingdom's Sea Fish Industry Authority classifies sardines as young pilchards. One criterion suggests fish shorter in length than 15 cm (6 in) are sardines, and larger fish are pilchards.
Sardines feed almost exclusively on zooplankton, 'animal plankton,' and assemble wherever this is abundant.
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The striped red mullet is a reddish colour that can vary depending on its mood. Two highly characteristics touch barbs come out of its lower jaw, which it uses to detect the food in the sediment.
It is a fish not usually more than 25 cm long, though on occasions it can reach 40 cm. It is a gregarious animal that usually goes around in small groups. It swims alone or in groups of up to 50 individuals.
It has omnivorous feeding habits: it feeds on crustaceans, poliquets, molluscs and algae. It usually forms small groups to look for food together. Two highly characteristics touch barbs come out of its lower jaw to detect the food in the sediment. They are capable of digging holes as deep as themselves in search for food.
Its reproduction is oviparous and they normally lay eggs in spring and summer.The young expurgate rocks covered with seaweed in shallow waters of around 1 m; on the other hand the adults live on the sand and mud from 3 to 90 m deep.
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The swordfish is one of the open ocean’s fastest, strongest predators and an important fishery species everywhere that it lives. Reaching weights of at least 1400 pounds (~650 kg) and lengths of nearly 15 feet (~4.5 m), the swordfish is one of the largest species of bony fishes. This species gets its common name from the long, sword-like bill that grows from the front of its head. Swordfish use this sword to stun their prey by slashing their heads in a side-to-side motion, knocking potential prey unconscious, and making it easier to catch.
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A small bream growing to around eighteen inches but typically less than six, the white bream is an attractive fish. It has the typical bream shape and dorsal fin, with a highly forked tail. It is light grey/silver to brilliant white in colour with several black bands running down the body. There is a clear black mark just before the tail, and the tail fin itself is usually trimmed with black. It is an active hunter, usually found around inshore waters where it will search for food in rough water and just behind the breakers, feeding on dislodged shellfish, worms and crustaceans, using their strong jaws to crunch through shells. They will also eat seaweed and pieces of coral. They are very much a warm water species found primarily in the Mediterranean and all around the coasts of Africa. However, very rare visitors come to southern UK waters, and there is a British shore caught record for this species. The white bream is of minor commercial importance in some Mediterranean countries, and is farmed to a small extent
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he whiting is a small fish – a specimen of 2lbs is a very good catch from the shore, but what they lack in size they make up for in numbers. Whiting are very common around much of the UK, and many an angler has been spared a blank fishing session by the willingness of whiting to take a bait. Whiting are at their most common in the autumn and winter although some areas such as North East England and parts of Scotland see whiting caught all year round.The whiting is a small fish – a specimen of 2lbs is a very good catch from the shore, but what they lack in size they make up for in numbers. Whiting are very common around much of the UK, and many an angler has been spared a blank fishing session by the willingness of whiting to take a bait. Whiting are at their most common in the autumn and winter although some areas such as North East England and parts of Scotland see whiting caught all year round. Whiting is a fast-growing species, reaching 6 – 7 inches in length at one year old and around 12 inches in their second year, by which time they will also be sexually mature. While whiting are a shoal fish they compete aggressively with each other for food, often taking baits as soon as they settle on the seabed. Small, immature whiting are known as pin whiting and can often be caught two or three at a time on multi-hook rigs. It is thought that bigger older whiting, those around the 2lb mark can be up to six to eight years old, move away from shoal living and become solitary fish, hunting for food alone further out to sea. Whiting are a demersal fish (one which hunts for food on or near the seabed), although they may move into mid-water and near to the surface when hunting smaller fish.
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