Last updated on April 20th, 2023
Fish in Culture
51. God of Water
Ancient Sumerians used the fish as a symbol of Enki, the god of water, knowledge, crafts, magic, and creation. Excavations at an Enki temple revealed numerous carp bones, suggesting large feasts.
52. Symbol of Happiness
What is happiness? For Buddhists, it feels a lot like freedom. That’s why they use the fish as a symbol of happiness — a creature with complete freedom of movement in the water.
53. Christian Symbol
Early Christians used the fish symbol called ichthys to secretly signify their faith under the Roman Empire. It’s a reference to the Bible story where Jesus multiplied bread and fish for his followers.
54. Maori Mother Goddess
The Polynesians believe that there is a long fish called Ika-Roa that gave birth to all the stars in the Milky Way.
55. Fish Avatar
In India, Hindus believe that the god Vishnu has a fish avatar called Matsya, said to have rescued the first man from a great flood. Some depict it as a giant golden fish, while others paint it with Vishnu’s human torso and a fish tail.
56. Fish-Man Monster
Kulullu is a mythical monster in Ancient Mesopotamia with statues around the cities. Despite his fearsome appearance, he is said to bring prosperity and good will to households.
57. Mermaids
Mermaids evolved from the Sirens of Green myth, whose enchanting songs attracted sailors. Some tales have these half-women, half-fish creatures giving gifts or falling in love with humans.
58. Northern Fish Constellation
Pisces is Latin for “fishes”. It is also the name of a constellation viewed by ancient astronomers as a pair of fishes connected by a cord. This comes from a Greek myth wherein Aphrodite and son Eros transformed into fish to escape a monster.
59. Southern Fish Constellation
The smaller Piscis Austrinus is another fish-themed constellation, often depicted as a Great Fish swallowing the water poured by Aquarius, the water-bearer constellation.
60. The Old Man and the Sea
This famous novel by Ernest Hemingway is about a Cuban fisherman who struggles to catch a giant marlin. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953, and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.
Facts about Salmon
1. A “Saber-Tooth Salmon” fossil is the earliest salmon record in North America. The fish was 3 m long and roamed the waters 7 million years ago.
2. In the modern era, the Chinook is the largest salmon with adults reaching 58 inches and 126 pounds.
3. The longest salmon migration happens along Alaska’s Yukon River, with Chinook salmon traveling 2,000 miles from the Bering Sea.
4. Salmon commit the smell of their freshwater birthplace to memory before leaving for the ocean, so they can remember their way back.
5. Anglers used to compete for the largest salmon catch each spring and send the winning fish to the US president. The first recipient was President Taft, while the last was President George H. W. Bush.
Facts about Tuna
1. The heaviest tuna ever recorded was an Atlantic bluefin from Nova Scotia weighing 1,496 pounds.
2. Tuna have no natural predators. Most of them eat smaller fish, while some species prefer to feast on squid and other cephalopods.
3. Tuna have sleek torpedo-shaped bodies that help them swim up to 47 miles per hour.
4. Tuna swim great distances during migration, with some moving from the Gulf of Mexico to Europe through the Atlantic Ocean.
5. Yellowfin tunas have a special blood vessel structure that keeps their body temperature higher than the water and helps them move faster for hunting.
Facts about Tilapia
1. Tilapia is among the most farmed fish species in the world because of its fast reproduction rate, low mercury content, and high amount of protein.
2. Tilapia is a freshwater fish that thrives in warm waters such ponds, rivers, lakes, and shallow streams. It can’t survive if the water is colder than 7 degrees Celsius.
3. Tilapia males wag their tails at the bottom of the pond to create nests for female eggs. Once fertilized, mothers collect the eggs in their mouths for protection until they hatch.
4. Ancient Egyptians farmed tilapia on the Nile River. The fish symbolizes rebirth in Egyptian art and is often painted on tomb walls.
5. Tilapia is also called “Saint Peter’s fish”. In the Bible’s Gospel of Matthew, there’s a story about Peter the Apostle catching the fish which carried a coin within its mouth.
Facts about Alaska Pollock
1. The Alaska Pollock is a type of cod that usually grows between 12 and 20 inches, although some might reach 3 ft. Adults weigh 1 to 3 pounds.
2. The speckled coloring on the scales of the Alaska Pollock is useful for camouflage. By blending in with the seafloor, they can avoid predators and survive longer.
3. Pollock begins to reproduce at the age of 3, migrating to shallow waters for breeding in the spring. During winter, they move back to deeper and warmer waters.
4. Most pollock sold are caught in the wild through sustainable fishing. These are cheaper alternatives to cod and haddock, often sold as fillets or imitation crab meat.
5. Pollock’s high nutrient content makes it a popular healthy food. It is low in fat but high in protein. It also contains a good amount of Vitamin B and omega-3 fatty acids.
Facts about Pangasius
1. Pangasius is a type of shark catfish that lives in the tropical freshwater habitats around Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
2. Pangasius prefers living in large bodies of water with considerable depth, like the Mekong River of Vietnam. The pH should be between 6.5 and 7.5, while the hardness is between 2.0 and 29.0 dGH.
3. Pangasius are solitary creatures. They may form schools of fish while they are young, but they eventually drift apart and go their own ways once they grow up.
4. Pangasius have streamlined scaleless bodies that can swim effortlessly. Their bodies can be silver to dark gray, with wide mouths to swallow prey.
5. Pangasius can live in waters with low oxygen levels thanks to an extra respiratory organ and the ability to breathe through their skin.
Facts about Cod
1. You can spot cods through their 3 rounded dorsal fins and 2 anal fins. The upper jaw is longer than the lower jaw, which has a whisker-like sensory organ called a chin barbel.
2. The Atlantic cod can shift its colors at different depths. You can find them with a gray-green or a reddish-brown body.
3. While most Atlantic cods only weigh between 5 and 12 kg, fishermen have caught specimens that weigh as much as 100 kg.
4. Large females can produce as many as 9 million eggs once they mature at 2 to 3 years old. They spawn near the ocean floor.
5. In the wild, they can live for more than 20 years while feeding on worms, crabs, shrimps, prawns, and smaller species of fish. In turn, they need to watch out for hungry sharks.
Facts about Catfish
1. Catfish get their name from the prominent barbels around their mouth that resemble cat whiskers. These little beards contain their taste buds.
2. It is easy to lure catfish because they will feed on any bait, but it is difficult to reel them in because they will fight hard to prevent getting caught.
3. The Asian walking catfish can move for short distances on land using its front fins and tail as feet. This is handy when it needs to relocate to different bodies of water.
4. Catfish are the largest freshwater predators. In Thailand, the largest Mekong catfish caught weighed 293 kg. In the Amazon Basin, Paraiba catches often weigh over 200 kg. There are even reports that they swallow humans.
5. Bullhead catfish, also known as mud cats, are hardy creatures. They can tolerate high levels of pollution and low oxygen levels. They can also stay alive for hours out of water.
Facts about Mackerel
1. Mackerel have vertical stripes on their backs and deep forking on their tails. They are smaller and slimmer than tuna, often ranging from 20 cm to 66 cm and 0.75 kg to 3.4 kg.
2. Mackerel are voracious feeders that feast on smaller fish, shrimp, squid, and zooplanktons. These carnivores have razor-sharp teeth for catching prey.
3. Mackerel live in both tropical and temperate waters, usually along the coast. They migrate to avoid extreme temperatures, traveling in large schools.
4. The Atlantic mackerel can live for up to 20 years, with females laying between 280,000 and 2 million eggs in batches during each spawning season.
5. The king mackerel are the largest species in this group, with the biggest catch being 72 inches and nearly 100 pounds. Their eggs hatch within 24 hours of fertilization, and grow quickly to guard against predators.
Facts about Trout
1. Trout are freshwater fish with different patterns and colors, with these matching their environment for camouflage. These may even change as they move to another habitat.
2. Trout tend to stay in cool and clear streams and lakes with waters between 10 to 16 degrees Celsius. Most are in Europe, North America, and North Asia.
3. Since trout can only thrive in clean waters, falling populations alert scientists about environment issues in an area such as toxins from industrial farming.
4. Trout and salmon are similar, but you can tell them apart through their teeth. Trout have a strong double row on the roof of their mouth, while salmon have a single row or nothing at all.
5. According to trout fishing records, the biggest ever caught is a lake trout at Great Bear Lake in Canada. The fish weighed in at 32.65 kg.
Facts about Haddock
1. Haddock can be identified through the black patch that looks like a thumbprint on each side of their body. Compared to cod, they are smaller and have less skin mottling.
2. Haddock are found in North Atlantic waters, from Newfoundland to New Jersey. They are abundant in the Gulf of Maine and Georges bank.
3. According to records, the longest haddock measured was 94 centimetre and 11 kilograms. It’s a rare find since most adults are between 30 and 70 centimetre.
4. Haddock often stays at depths of 80 to 200 meters, where they prey on sand eels, gobies, herrings, capelins, and silver hake. They may also eat sea urchins, worms, shellfish, and brittlestars.
5. The high-protein, low-fat haddock is often used in making British fish and chips, Scottish fish supper, Norwegian fishballs, and Grimsby smoked fish.
Facts about Turbot
1. Turbot is a large flatfish species that live around the Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Northeast Atlantic Ocean. They stay close to the shore in shallow waters.
2. European turbot can grow up to a meter long and may weigh as much as 25 kilograms.
3. The Roman poet Juvenal mentioned turbot in his work, “The Emperor’s Fish”. He wrote that the imperial kitchen went into a panic when they couldn’t find a pot that could fit the fish whole.
4. To solve this problem, a large kite-shaped fish kettle was invented called the turbotiere. This was a staple in every kitchen of stately homes over a century ago.
5. Turbot farms are scattered all over the world to ensure ample supply and meet the market demands. You can find these in China, Canada, Spain, France, Romania, Portugal, Turkey, Norway, and Chile.
Facts about Sardines
1. Sardines are popular food for both humans and wild animals. They are important sources of nutrients for seals, dolphins, blue whales, penguins, and brown pelicans.
2. Sardines are small and slender fish that can grow up to 17 inches and weigh 1.5 pounds. Their bodies have a green-blue or deep steel blue color.
3. Sardines travel in large schools of up to 10,000 to protect themselves from predators — that is, safety in numbers. If left alone, they can live up to 20 years in the wild.
4. Sardines keep their numbers high by spawning several times each season. A female can release up to 200,000 eggs in the waters. Fertilized eggs hatch in 3 days.
5. Pacific sardines are high in omega-3 fatty acids that help in reducing inflammation and the risk of heart disease.
Red Mullet
1. Red mullet is a species of goatfish. It’s easy to see why when you see its chin barbels or “goatee” that serves as probes for nearby food.
2. It is a Mediterranean delicacy that has been farmed since ancient times. Romans even reared them in ponds and trained them to gather for feeding when they hear a bell ring.
3. Red mullet are omnivorous, but they eat mostly worms and crustaceans.
4. The red mullet has a bright crimson-orange body with a few yellow streaks. Fresh ones are firm with clear eyes and bright red gills, devoid of any strong smell.
5. Red mullets may jump out of the water to avoid aquatic predators, momentarily becoming invisible and plotting their escape.
Facts about Perch
1. Perch is a freshwater gamefish with a long and round body, tiger stripes, red fins, and humped back. They have rough scales and small brush-like teeth.
2. Perch lives in shallow areas with much or sand bottoms where it feeds on snails, worms, leeches, crayfish, and smaller fish.
3. Female perch produce eggs which they stick onto rocks and vegetation, waiting for males to fertilize them. They hatch after 3 weeks, feeding on the yolk sac for nutrients.
4. Most European perch weigh between 1 and 3 pounds. Yellow perch are smaller and lighter at less than a pound.
5. Yellow perch are weak swimmers, so they prefer tranquil ponds and lakes where they don’t have to fight the currents.
Facts about Walleye
1. Walleye is considered by many as the best-tasting freshwater fish, and is a staple in Canadian cuisine.
2. Its common name is a reference to its cat-like eyes that glow and see well in the dark. They often hunt in low light and in turbid waters to maximize their advantage.
3. Commercial walleye fishing is banned in the US, but recreational fishing is allowed. Much of the commercial fishing happens within the Great Lakes of Canada.
4. Walleye bodies are mostly a mix of gold and olive, with a white belly at the bottom.
5. Walleyes can reach a length of 80 cm and a weight of 9 kg. The oldest walleye ever recorded reached 29 years.
Facts about Halibut
1. Halibut are flatfish with a dark brown top to match the ocean floor and an off-white underbelly to blend with the light from the sky.
2. The largest halibut recorded was caught in Norway measuring 2.62m and 234kg.
3. Its name means “holy flat fish” in Middle English, because it was a popular delicacy during Christian holidays.
4. Halibut liver is a rich source of Vitamin A, but be careful not to overdose. Dutch fishermen once ate massive amounts, ending up with nausea, swelling, and reddish skin.
5. Halibut spawn in the winter with females releasing up to 4 million eggs that hatch after 12-20 days.