Fish | Smithsonian Ocean

Colorful fish swim in blue water.

an adult and baby coelacanth specimens on display

Meet the Coelacanth

Learn about the fish that was once thought to be extinct.

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Featured Content

A Honduran small-scale fisherman on a boat setting out to fish.

Article

Clever Measures Track Fishing Pressures

A blue parrotfish hides among coral.

Article

Tough Teeth and Parrotfish Poop

On coral reefs fish are important links in the food chain that sustains higher-order predators (including humans) and keeps everything in balance.

Article

Fish Get Risky Around Oil

A tornado of sardines swirls around diver and photographer Erwin Poliakoff in the Philippines.

Article

Why the Littlest Fish Matter a Whole Lot

A school of akule (Hawaiian for bigeye scad) explode into a camera's frame.

Article

Following the Akule

Are You An Educator?

At Smithsonian Ocean, we have lesson plans, activities, and resources to help you engage your students in the wonders of our oceans.

see all lesson plans see fish lesson plans

Fish Articles

a heart in a petri dish

Video

Dispatches from the Gulf: Centers of Innovation

an illustration of pufferfish species and their relatives

Article

Pufferfishes and Their Relatives

“On an afternoon dive, I spotted a small group of sweetlips in the current among a shoal of juvenile convict blennies. It took me some time to get close to the fish without spooking them. I took several frames but this one was my favorite because of the

Slideshow

Ocean Fish Pictures

Seafood vendor at historic Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington (USA). The market draws both shoppers and gawkers who come to watch the gregarious crew of fishmongers.

Slideshow

World Fisheries from Sea to Table

Colorful fishes throng a reef in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Slideshow

Bizarre and Beautiful Coral Reef Animals

A screenshot from the video showing a Palauan primitive cave eel.

Video

Video of the Palauan primitive cave eel (Protanguilla palau)

A Honduran small-scale fisherman on a boat setting out to fish.

Article

Clever Measures Track Fishing Pressures

A woman stands holding a white tray that displays lionfish jewelry.

Article

When Life Gives You Lionfish…

X-ray image of a winghead shark

Slideshow

X-Rays of Fish Reveal Diversity

This shrimp is colored to fit in - probably why they are common members of the seaweed community.

Slideshow

A World Adrift: Life in the Sargassum Slideshow

Interfaz de usuario de la Fish App

Article

Hay una aplicación para eso: usando teléfonos para contribuir a una pesca sostenible

Three fishermen sit on wooden stilts that are sticking out of the ocean as they fish.

Article

Fishing for Food Security: Small-Scale Fisheries Are Key