Fish in Australia

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

Species of freshwater fish


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 Anlaby's Abilene's
 * Starry triggerfish
 * Abelites stellates
 * Anlaby's taenianotus
 * Flat needlefish