Pelagic Fishes

Pelagic fishes associate exclusively with the upper section of the water column and sometimes exclusively with open ocean instead of coastal ocean environments. Pelagic fishes are diverse in form and function, ranging from small forage fishes such as herrings, mackerels, and sardines to large piscivorous fish and apex predators such as tunas, billfishes, and sharks. This article describes the major taxonomic groups of pelagic fishes, providing a brief description of common species, feeding ecology, notable behaviors and adaptations, fisheries and fishing gears used to exploit respective pelagic fish populations, as well as recent catch statistics and market uses.