Saltwater Fish

Often times we are asked by fans or receive photos of Saltwater Fish asking for a fish identification. Here are the most common Saltwater Fish, focused on the Southern United States and the Gulf of Mexico. We plan on adding a list for the West Coast and Northeast Atlantic as well.

Did we miss a Saltwater Fish?  Suggest a Saltwater Fish here.

Click on the name to view a Wiki on each Saltwater Fish you find below to learn more.

Common name	Scientific name	Image	Fresh water	Salt water
African pompano	Alectis ciliaris			Y
Alligator gar	Atractosteus spatula		Y
American Eel	Anguilla rostrata		Y
Atlantic angel shark	Squatina dumeril			Y
Atlantic bonito				Y
Atlantic bumper				Y
Atlantic croaker				Y
Largehead hairtail				Y
Atlantic moonfish				Y
Atlantic needlefish				Y
Atlantic sharpnose shark				Y
Atlantic silverside				Y
Atlantic spadefish				Y
Atlantic stingray				Y
Atlantic sturgeon				Y
Atlantic tarpon				Y
Atlantic torpedo				Y
Balloonfish				Y
Ballyhoo				Y
Banded butterflyfish				Y
Banded cichlid	Heros severus		Y
Bandtail puffer				Y
Bandtail searobin				Y
Bank butterflyfish				Y
Bar jack				Y
Barbfish				Y
Barred hamlet				Y
Basking shark				Y
Bearded brotula				Y
Beaugregory				Y
Belted sandfish				Y
Bermuda chub				Y
Bicolor damselfish				Y
Bigeye scad				Y
Bigeye				Y
Bigmouth sleeper				Y
Black crappie	Pomoxis nigromaculatus		Y
Black drum				Y
Black durgon				Y
Black grouper				Y
Black jack				Y
Black margate				Y
Black seabass				Y
Blackbar soldierfish				Y
Blackcheek tonguefish				Y
Blacktip shark				Y
Blue angelfish				Y
Blue chromis				Y
Blue marlin				Y
Blue parrotfish				Y
Blue runner				Y
Blue shark				Y
Blue striped grunt				Y
Blue tang				Y
Bluefish				Y
Bluegill	Lepomis macrochirus		Y
Bluehead wrasse				Y
Bluespotted cornetfish				Y
Bluntnose stingray				Y
Bonefish				Y
Bonnethead				Y
Bowfin	Amia calva		Y
Brown Bullhead	Ameiurus nebulosus		Y
Brown chromis				Y
Brown garden eel				Y
Bucktooth parrotfish				Y
Buffalo trunkfish				Y
Bull shark				Y
Bullet mackerel				Y
Bullseye snakehead	Channa marulius		Y
Butter hamlet				Y
Butterfish				Y
Caesar grunt				Y
Cardinal soldierfish				Y
Caribbean sharpnose-puffer				Y
Cero mackerel				Y
Chain dogfish				Y
Chain moray				Y
Chalk bass				Y
Channel Catfish	Ictalurus punctatus		Y
Checkered puffer				Y
Cherub fish				Y
Clearnose skate				Y
Clown goby				Y
Clown wrasse				Y
Cobia				Y
Cocoa damselfish				Y
Collared eel				Y
Colon goby				Y
Common carp	Cyprinus carpio		Y
Conchfish				Y
Coney				Y
Cottonwick				Y
Cownose ray				Y
Creole wrasse				Y
Creole-fish				Y
Crevalle Jack				Y
Cuban dogfish				Y
Cubbyu				Y
Cubera snapper				Y
Darter goby				Y
Dash goby				Y
Diamond blenny				Y
Diamond killifish				Y
Doctorfish				Y
Dog snapper				Y
Dolphinfish				Y
Dusky cardinalfish				Y
Dusky damselfish	Stegastes adustus			Y
Dusky pipefish				Y
Dusky squirrelfish				Y
Dwarf frogfish				Y
Dwarf goatfish				Y
Dwarf herring				Y
Eastern mosquitofish	Gambusia holbrooki		Y
Eyed flounder				Y
False pilchard				Y
Fat sleeper				Y
Flagfish	Jordanella floridae		Y
Flamefish				Y
Flat needlefish				Y
Flier	Centrarchus macropterus		Y
Florida Gar	Lepisosteus platyrhincus		Y
Florida pompano				Y
Flying gurnard				Y
Foureye butterflyfish				Y
Freckled cardinalfish				Y
Freckled soapfish				Y
French angelfish				Y
French grunt				Y
Freshwater goby				Y
Frillfin goby				Y
Fringed filefish				Y
Gafftopsail catfish				Y
Gag grouper				Y
Glasseye snapper				Y
Glassy sweeper				Y
Golden tilefish				Y
Goldentail moray				Y
Goldfish	Carassius auratus		Y
Goldline blenny				Y
Goldspotted eel				Y
Goliath grouper				Y
Grass carp	Centropharyngodon idella		Y
Grass porgy				Y
Gray angelfish				Y
Gray snapper				Y
Graysby				Y
Great barracuda				Y
Great hammerhead				Y
Greater amberjack				Y
Greater soapfish				Y
Green moray				Y
Gulf flounder				Y
Gulf killifish				Y
Gulf kingfish				Y
Gulf pipefish				Y
Gulf toadfish				Y
Hairy blenny				Y
Hardhead catfish				Y
Harlequin bass				Y
High-hat (fish)				Y
Hogchoker	Trinectes maculatus		Y	Y
Hogfish				Y
Horned searobin				Y
Horse-eye jack				Y
Houndfish				Y
Hovering goby				Y
Indigo Hamlet				Y
Inshore lizardfish				Y
Jack Dempsey (fish)	Rochio octafasciata		Y
Jack-knifefish				Y
Jaguar guapote	Cichlasoma manguensis		Y
Jolthead porgy				Y
Key brotula				Y
King mackerel				Y
Knobbed porgy				Y
Ladyfish				Y
Lancer dragonet				Y
Lane snapper				Y
Lantern bass				Y
Largemouth Bass	Micropterus salmoides		Y
Leatherjack				Y
Lemon shark				Y
Leopard goby				Y
Lesser electric ray				Y
Lined seahorse				Y
Little tunny				Y
Longear sunfish	Lepomis megalotis		Y
Longfin damselfish				Y
Longlure frogfish				Y
Longnose gar	Lepisosteus osseus		Y
Longsnout butterflyfish				Y
Longspine squirrelfish				Y
Lookdown				Y
Lyre goby				Y
Mahogany snapper				Y
Mangrove snapper				Y
Man-of-war fish				Y
Manta ray				Y
Manytooth conger				Y
Marbled grouper				Y
Margate				Y
Mayan cichlid	Cichlasoma urophthalmus		Y
Metallic lanternfish				Y
Midas cichlid	Amphilophus citrinellus		Y
Midnight parrotfish				Y
Misty grouper				Y
Molly miller				Y
Mottled jawfish				Y
Mozambique Tilapia	Oreochromis mossambicus		Y
Mummichog	Fundulus heteroclitus		Y
Mutton hamlet				Y
Mutton snapper				Y
Naked sole				Y
Nassau grouper				Y
Neon goby				Y
Night sergeant				Y
Night shark				Y
Nurse shark				Y
Ocean sunfish				Y
Ocean surgeon				Y
Ocean triggerfish				Y
Ocellated flounder				Y
Ocellated frogfish				Y
Orangespotted filefish				Y
Orangespotted goby				Y
Oyster toadfish				Y
Peacock bass	Cichla osellaris		Y
Pigfish (Redmouth grunt)				Y
Pinfish				Y
Porkfish				Y
Puddingwife wrasse				Y
Queen angelfish				Y
Queen triggerfish				Y
Red drum				Y
Red grouper				Y
Red snapper				Y
Redear sunfish	Lepomis microlophus		Y
Redtail parrotfish				Y
Rio Grande Cichlid	Herichthys cyanoguttatum		Y
Round scad				Y
Roundel skate				Y
Sailor’s grunt				Y
Sand drum				Y
Sand perch				Y
Sand seatrout				Y
Schoolmaster snapper				Y
Scrawled cowfish				Y
Sergeant major (fish)				Y
Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus)				Y
Silver mullet			Y
Slippery dick				Y
Smalltooth sawfish				Y
Smooth dogfish				Y
Snook (Centropomidae)				Y
Southern puffer				Y
Southern stingray				Y
Spanish hogfish				Y
Spanish mackerel				Y
Speckled seatrout				Y
Spottail pinfish				Y
Spotted eagle ray				Y
Spotted gar	Lepisopsteus oculatus		Y
Spotted scorpionfish				Y
Spotted tilapia	Pelmatolapia mariae			Y
Striped bass	Morone saxatilis		Y	Y
Striped mullet				Y
Tadpole madtom	Noturus gyrinus		Y
Tomtate				Y
Tripletail				Y
Vermilion snapper				Y
Walking catfish	Clarias batrachus		Y
Warmouth	Lepomis gulosus		Y
Whale shark				Y
White catfish	Ictalurus catus		Y
White Grunt (fish)				Y
Yellow bullhead	Ameiurus natalis		Y
Yellow jack				Y
Yellowtail snapper				Y
Common lionfish	Pterois miles			Y
Red lionfish	Pterois voltians			Y