Fish in Australia explained

Australia has over 5000 described species of fish, a quarter of which are endemic.^[1] Seafood and aquaculture are major and highly regulated industries, and fishing for marine and freshwater native fish is popular.

Species of freshwater fish

See main article: Freshwater fish of Australia. For its land-size, Australia has a low diversity of native freshwater fish with only 281 described species. This is largely because Australia is a very dry continent with sporadic rainfall and large areas of desert. There is a higher diversity of salt water fish.

The most common freshwater fish are:

• Murray cod
• Australian bass

Other species include:

• Australian grayling
• Australian smelt
• Climbing galaxias
• Common galaxias
• Eastern freshwater cod
• Eel-tailed catfish
• Estuary perch
• Flathead galaxias
• Golden perch
• Halfbeak/Garfish
• Jardini
• Inanga
• Macquarie perch
• Mary River cod
• Mountain galaxias
• Queensland lungfish
• Rainbowfish
• Retropinnidae
• River blackfish
• Saratoga
• Salamanderfish
• Short-finned eel
• Sleepy cod
• Trout cod
• Two-spined blackfish
• Western carp gudgeon

Marine fish

Abelites

• Starry triggerfish
• Abelites stellates

Anlaby's

• Anlaby's taenianotus

Abilene's

• Flat needlefish

Notes and References

1. Web site: Bray. Dianne. Introduction to Australia's Fishes. Fishes of Australia. 30 September 2014. 22 August 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140822031656/http://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/content/166. dead.