# List of commercially important fish species

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.
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.

## Harvested aquatic animals by weight

| Common name(s) | Binomial name | 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. 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Goldstripe sardinella | Sardinella gibbosa | Wild | 161,839 | |