List of commercially important fish species explained

This is a list of aquatic animals that are harvested commercially in the greatest amounts, listed in order of tonnage per year (2012) by the Food and Agriculture Organization. Species listed here have an annual tonnage in excess of 160,000 tonnes.

This table includes mainly food fish species, but also listed are crustaceans (crabs and shrimps), cephalopods (squids and cuttlefishs), bivalves, and a reptile (softshell turtle).

Note that Oreochromis niloticus and Penaeus monodon appear twice, because substantial amounts are harvested from the wild as well as being extensively raised through aquaculture.

Summary

The 70 wild species shown in this table total 41,925,250 tonnes. Other wild species total 49,410,980 for a world total of 91,336,230 tonnes of wild, captured animals.[1]

The 31 cultivated species shown in this table total 45,252,999 tonnes. Other cultivated species total 21,380,254 tonnes for a world total of 66,633,253 tonnes of animals cultivated through aquaculture.[2]

Harvested aquatic animals by weight

Common name(s)Binomial nameImageWild/
cultivated		Harvest
in tonnes		Notes
Grass carpCtenopharyngodon idellaCultivated6,068,014China is the major producer of the grass carp, which grows quickly and requires fairly little dietary protein. Low-cost feed such as grain processing and vegetable oil extraction by-products, terrestrial grass, and aquatic weeds, allows the grass carp to be produced cheaply.[3]

This fish is mainly sold fresh, either in pieces or whole.

Peruvian anchovetaEngraulis ringensWild4,692,855
Silver carpHypophthalmichthys molitrixCultivated4,189,578 A variety of Asian carp, widely cultivated with other aquaculture carp, but under pressure in its home range (China and eastern Siberia). Also called "flying fish", it is an invasive species in many countries.[4]
Common carpCyprinus carpioCultivated3,791,913
Asari,
Japanese littleneck,
Manila clam,
Filipino Venus,
Japanese cockle,
Japanese carpet shell		Venerupis philippinarumCultivated3,785,311
Alaska pollockTheragra chalcogrammaWild3,271,426 This species is often the main ingredient in the so-called crab sticks.
Nile tilapiaOreochromis niloticusCultivated3,197,330
Whiteleg shrimpPenaeus vannameiCultivated3,178,721
Bighead carpHypophthalmichthys nobilisCultivated2,898,816
Skipjack tunaKatsuwonus pelamisWild2,795,339
CatlaCatla catlaCultivated2,761,022
Crucian carpCarassius carassiusCultivated2,451,845
Atlantic salmonSalmo salarCultivated2,066,561 The wild Atlantic salmon fishery is commercially dead; after extensive habitat damage and overfishing, wild fish make up only 0.5% of the Atlantic salmon available in world fish markets. The rest are farmed, predominantly from aquaculture in Norway, Chile, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Faroe Islands, Russia and Tasmania in Australia.
Atlantic herringClupea harengusWild1,849,969
Chub mackerelScomber japonicusWild1,581,314
RohuLabeo rohitaCultivated1,555,546
Yellowfin tunaThunnus albacaresWild1,352,204
Japanese anchovyEngraulis japonicusWild1,296,383
Largehead hairtailTrichiurus lepturusWild1,235,373
Atlantic CodGadus morhuaWild1,114,382
European pilchardSardina pilchardusWild1,019,392
CapelinMallotus villosusWild1,006,533
Jumbo flying squidDosidicus gigasWild950,630
MilkfishChanos chanosCultivated943,259
Atlantic mackerelScomber scombrusWild910,697
Rainbow troutOncorhynchus mykissCultivated855,982
Giant tiger prawn
Asian tiger shrimp		Penaeus monodonCultivated855,055
Araucanian herringClupea bentinckiWild848,466
Chinese razor clam
Agemaki clam		Sinonovacula constrictaCultivated720,466
Chinese mitten crabEriocheir sinensisCultivated714,392
Wuchang breamMegalobrama amblycephalaCultivated705,821
Pacific oyster
Japanese oyster
Miyagi oyster		Crassostrea gigasCultivated608,688
Louisiana crawfish
Red swamp crawfish		Procambarus clarkiiCultivated598,289
Akiami paste shrimpAcetes japonicusWild588,761One of 14 species in the genus Acetes, this small, krill-like prawn is used to produce shrimp paste in South East Asia.
Gulf menhadenBrevoortia patronusWild578,693
Indian oil sardineSardinella longicepsWild560,145
Black carpMylopharyngodon piceusCultivated495,074
European anchovyEngraulis encrasicolusWild489,297
Northern snakeheadChanna argusCultivated480,854
Pacific codGadus macrocephalusWild474,047
Pacific sauryCololabis sairaWild460,961
Pacific herringClupea pallasiiWild451,457
Bigeye tunaThunnus obesusWild450,546
Chilean jack mackerelTrachurus murphyiWild447,060
Yellow croakerLarimichthys polyactisWild437,613
HaddockMelanogrammus aeglefinusWild430,917
Gazami crabPortunus trituberculatusWild429,959
Amur catfish
Japanese common catfish		Silurus asotusCultivated413,350
European spratSprattus sprattusWild408,509
Pink salmonOncorhynchus gorbuschaWild406,131
Mrigal carpCirrhinus mrigalaCultivated396,476
Channel catfishIctalurus punctatusCultivated394,179 See also: Aquaculture of catfish
Blood cockleAnadara granosaCultivated391,574
Blue whitingMicromesistius poutassouWild378,794
Hilsa shadTenualosa ilishaWild376,734
Daggertooth pike congerMuraenesox cinereusWild372,704
California pilchardSardinops caeruleusWild364,386
Cape horse mackerelTrachurus capensisWild356,795
Pacific anchovetaCetengraulis mysticetusWild352,945
Japanese flying squidTodarodes pacificusWild351,229
Argentine shortfin squidIllex argentinusWild340,622
PollockPollachius virensWild336,838
Chinese softshell turtlePelodiscus sinensisCultivated335,535 This species is a significant part of China's aquaculture. According to the data obtained from 684 Chinese turtle farms, they sold over 91 million turtles of this species every year; considering that these farms represented less than half of the 1,499 registered turtle farms in China, the nationwide total could be over twice as high.
KawakawaEuthynnus affinisWild328,927
Indian mackerelRastrelliger kanagurtaWild325,612
Asian swamp eelMonopterus albusCultivated321,006
Yesso scallopPatinopecten yessoensisWild318,081
Argentine hakeMerluccius hubbsiWild318,067
Northern prawnPandalus borealisWild315,511
Short mackerelRastrelliger brachysomaWild312,930
Southern rough shrimpTrachysalambria curvirostrisWild308,257
Southern African anchovyEngraulis capensisWild307,606
Pond loachMisgurnus anguillicaudatusCultivated294,456
Iridescent sharkPangasius hypophthalmusCultivated285,089
Mandarin fish
Chinese perch 		Siniperca chuatsiCultivated281,502
Nile perchLates niloticusWild278,675
Round sardinellaSardinella auritaWild273,018
Japanese pilchardSardinops melanostictusWild269,972
American sea scallopPlacopecten magellanicusWild267,745
Bombay-duckHarpadon nehereusWild257,376
Yellowhead catfish
Korean bullhead		Tachysurus fulvidracoCultivated256,650
Narrow-barred Spanish mackerelScomberomorus commersonWild256,469
AlbacoreThunnus alalungaWild256,082
Madeiran sardinellaSardinella maderensisWild251,342
Bonga shadEthmalosa fimbriataWild249,422
Silver cyprinidRastrineobola argenteaWild241,122
Nile tilapiaOreochromis niloticusWild235,003
Longtail tunaThunnus tonggolWild234,427
Atlantic menhadenBrevoortia tyrannusWild224,404
Giant tiger prawnPenaeus monodonWild212,504
North Pacific hakeMerluccius productusWild206,985
Atlantic horse mackerelTrachurus trachurusWild205,807
Japanese jack mackerelTrachurus japonicusWild202,816
Pacific thread herringOpisthonema libertateWild201,993 One of five species in the genus Opisthonema
Bigeye scadSelar crumenophthalmusWild200,617
Yellowstripe scadSelaroides leptolepisWild198,600
Chum salmonOncorhynchus ketaWild189,777
Antarctic krillEuphausia superbaWild188,147
Blue swimming crabPortunus pelagicusWild180,119
Pacific sand lance
Pacific sandlance		Ammodytes personatusWild175,892 Mostly manufactured into oil and meal, but also used as food in Japan.[5]
Goldstripe sardinellaSardinella gibbosaWild161,839

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: [ftp://ftp.fao.org/FI/STAT/summary/a1e.pdf Capture production by principal species in 2012]. https://web.archive.org/web/20170518134923/ftp://ftp.fao.org/FI/STAT/summary/a1e.pdf. dead. 2017-05-18. Ftp.fao.org. 11 November 2014.
  2. Web site: [ftp://ftp.fao.org/FI/STAT/summary/a-6.pdf World aquaculture production of fish, crustaceans, molluscs, etc., by principal species in 2012]. https://web.archive.org/web/20170518134921/ftp://ftp.fao.org/FI/STAT/summary/a-6.pdf. dead. 2017-05-18. Ftp.fao.org. 11 November 2014.
  3. Web site: FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture . Fao.org. 26 March 2022.
  4. Web site: Hypophthalmichthys molitrix. NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species. US Geological Survey. 21 April 2016.
  5. Web site: Ammodytes personatus Girard, 1856, Pacific sandlance . Fishbase.org . 10 November 2014.

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