List of commercially important fish species
Aquatic animals that are harvested commercially in the greatest amounts
World capture fisheries and aquaculture production by species group[ 1]
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.[ 2]
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 .[ 3]
Harvested aquatic animals by weight
Common name(s)
Binomial name
Image
Wild/ cultivated
Harvest in tonnes
Notes
Grass carp
Ctenopharyngodon idella
Cultivated
6,068,014
China 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.[ 4]
This fish is mainly sold fresh, either in pieces or whole.
Peruvian anchoveta
Engraulis ringens
Wild
4,692,855
Silver carp
Hypophthalmichthys molitrix
Cultivated
4,189,578
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.[ 5]
Common carp
Cyprinus carpio
Cultivated
3,791,913
Asari, Japanese littleneck, Manila clam, Filipino Venus, Japanese cockle, Japanese carpet shell
Venerupis philippinarum
Cultivated
3,785,311
Alaska pollock
Theragra chalcogramma
Wild
3,271,426
This species is often the main ingredient in the so-called crab sticks .
Nile tilapia
Oreochromis niloticus
Cultivated
3,197,330
Whiteleg shrimp
Penaeus vannamei
Cultivated
3,178,721
Bighead carp
Hypophthalmichthys nobilis
Cultivated
2,898,816
Skipjack tuna
Katsuwonus pelamis
Wild
2,795,339
Catla
Catla catla
Cultivated
2,761,022
Crucian carp
Carassius carassius
Cultivated
2,451,845
Atlantic salmon
Salmo salar
Cultivated
2,066,561
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 herring
Clupea harengus
Wild
1,849,969
Chub mackerel
Scomber japonicus
Wild
1,581,314
Rohu
Labeo rohita
Cultivated
1,555,546
Yellowfin tuna
Thunnus albacares
Wild
1,352,204
Japanese anchovy
Engraulis japonicus
Wild
1,296,383
Largehead hairtail
Trichiurus lepturus
Wild
1,235,373
Atlantic Cod
Gadus morhua
Wild
1,114,382
European pilchard
Sardina pilchardus
Wild
1,019,392
Capelin
Mallotus villosus
Wild
1,006,533
Jumbo flying squid
Dosidicus gigas
Wild
950,630
Milkfish
Chanos chanos
Cultivated
943,259
Atlantic mackerel
Scomber scombrus
Wild
910,697
Rainbow trout
Oncorhynchus mykiss
Cultivated
855,982
Giant tiger prawn Asian tiger shrimp
Penaeus monodon
Cultivated
855,055
Araucanian herring
Clupea bentincki
Wild
848,466
Chinese razor clam Agemaki clam
Sinonovacula constricta
Cultivated
720,466
Chinese mitten crab
Eriocheir sinensis
Cultivated
714,392
Wuchang bream
Megalobrama amblycephala
Cultivated
705,821
Pacific oyster Japanese oyster Miyagi oyster
Crassostrea gigas
Cultivated
608,688
Louisiana crawfish Red swamp crawfish
Procambarus clarkii
Cultivated
598,289
Akiami paste shrimp
Acetes japonicus
Wild
588,761
One of 14 species in the genus Acetes , this small, krill -like prawn is used to produce shrimp paste in South East Asia.
Gulf menhaden
Brevoortia patronus
Wild
578,693
Indian oil sardine
Sardinella longiceps
Wild
560,145
Black carp
Mylopharyngodon piceus
Cultivated
495,074
European anchovy
Engraulis encrasicolus
Wild
489,297
Northern snakehead
Channa argus
Cultivated
480,854
Pacific cod
Gadus macrocephalus
Wild
474,047
Pacific saury
Cololabis saira
Wild
460,961
Pacific herring
Clupea pallasii
Wild
451,457
Bigeye tuna
Thunnus obesus
Wild
450,546
Chilean jack mackerel
Trachurus murphyi
Wild
447,060
Yellow croaker
Larimichthys polyactis
Wild
437,613
Haddock
Melanogrammus aeglefinus
Wild
430,917
Gazami crab
Portunus trituberculatus
Wild
429,959
Amur catfish Japanese common catfish
Silurus asotus
Cultivated
413,350
European sprat
Sprattus sprattus
Wild
408,509
Pink salmon
Oncorhynchus gorbuscha
Wild
406,131
Mrigal carp
Cirrhinus mrigala
Cultivated
396,476
Channel catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
Cultivated
394,179
See also: Aquaculture of catfish
Blood cockle
Anadara granosa
Cultivated
391,574
Blue whiting
Micromesistius poutassou
Wild
378,794
Hilsa shad
Tenualosa ilisha
Wild
376,734
Daggertooth pike conger
Muraenesox cinereus
Wild
372,704
California pilchard
Sardinops caeruleus
Wild
364,386
Cape horse mackerel
Trachurus capensis
Wild
356,795
Pacific anchoveta
Cetengraulis mysticetus
Wild
352,945
Japanese flying squid
Todarodes pacificus
Wild
351,229
Argentine shortfin squid
Illex argentinus
Wild
340,622
Pollock
Pollachius virens
Wild
336,838
Chinese softshell turtle
Pelodiscus sinensis
Cultivated
335,535
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.[ 6]
Kawakawa
Euthynnus affinis
Wild
328,927
Indian mackerel
Rastrelliger kanagurta
Wild
325,612
Asian swamp eel
Monopterus albus
Cultivated
321,006
Yesso scallop
Patinopecten yessoensis
Wild
318,081
Argentine hake
Merluccius hubbsi
Wild
318,067
Northern prawn
Pandalus borealis
Wild
315,511
Short mackerel
Rastrelliger brachysoma
Wild
312,930
Southern rough shrimp
Trachysalambria curvirostris
Wild
308,257
Southern African anchovy
Engraulis capensis
Wild
307,606
Pond loach
Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
Cultivated
294,456
Iridescent shark
Pangasius hypophthalmus
Cultivated
285,089
Mandarin fish Chinese perch
Siniperca chuatsi
Cultivated
281,502
Nile perch
Lates niloticus
Wild
278,675
Round sardinella
Sardinella aurita
Wild
273,018
Japanese pilchard
Sardinops melanostictus
Wild
269,972
American sea scallop
Placopecten magellanicus
Wild
267,745
Bombay-duck
Harpadon nehereus
Wild
257,376
Yellowhead catfish Korean bullhead
Tachysurus fulvidraco
Cultivated
256,650
Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel
Scomberomorus commerson
Wild
256,469
Albacore
Thunnus alalunga
Wild
256,082
Madeiran sardinella
Sardinella maderensis
Wild
251,342
Bonga shad
Ethmalosa fimbriata
Wild
249,422
Silver cyprinid
Rastrineobola argentea
Wild
241,122
Nile tilapia
Oreochromis niloticus
Wild
235,003
Longtail tuna
Thunnus tonggol
Wild
234,427
Atlantic menhaden
Brevoortia tyrannus
Wild
224,404
Giant tiger prawn
Penaeus monodon
Wild
212,504
North Pacific hake
Merluccius productus
Wild
206,985
Atlantic horse mackerel
Trachurus trachurus
Wild
205,807
Japanese jack mackerel
Trachurus japonicus
Wild
202,816
Pacific thread herring
Opisthonema libertate
Wild
201,993
One of five species in the genus Opisthonema
Bigeye scad
Selar crumenophthalmus
Wild
200,617
Yellowstripe scad
Selaroides leptolepis
Wild
198,600
Chum salmon
Oncorhynchus keta
Wild
189,777
Antarctic krill
Euphausia superba
Wild
188,147
Blue swimming crab
Portunus pelagicus
Wild
180,119
Pacific sand lance Pacific sandlance
Ammodytes personatus
Wild
175,892
Mostly manufactured into oil and meal, but also used as food in Japan.[ 7]
Goldstripe sardinella
Sardinella gibbosa
Wild
161,839
See also
References
^ World Food and Agriculture – Statistical Yearbook 2021 . 2021. doi :10.4060/cb4477en . ISBN 978-92-5-134332-6 . S2CID 240163091 . Retrieved 2021-12-13 .
^ "Capture production by principal species in 2012" (PDF) . Ftp.fao.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-05-18. Retrieved 11 November 2014 .
^ "World aquaculture production of fish, crustaceans, molluscs, etc., by principal species in 2012" (PDF) . Ftp.fao.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-05-18. Retrieved 11 November 2014 .
^ "FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture" . Fao.org. Retrieved 26 March 2022 .
^ "Hypophthalmichthys molitrix" . NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species . US Geological Survey. Retrieved 21 April 2016 .
^ Shi, Haitao; Parham, James F; Fan, Zhiyong; Hong, Meiling; Yin, Feng (2008-01-01), "Evidence for the massive scale of turtle farming in China", Oryx , vol. 42, Cambridge University Press, pp. 147– 150, doi :10.1017/S0030605308000562
^ "Ammodytes personatus Girard, 1856, Pacific sandlance" . Fishbase.org. Retrieved 10 November 2014 .
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