Last Updated on November 23, 2023 by Jeremy

The Atlantic Ocean – home to icebergs, the Bermuda Triangle, and pirates, oh my! is also home to many species of fish. With it being the 2nd largest of the 5 oceans in the world and covering “29% of water surface area” as per Wikipedia, it has been split in half – the North Atlantic and the South Atlantic.

This mix of cold and warm water brings many distinct, colorful, and unusual fish; the Atlantic ocean fish species are bound to be interesting.

The Northern half spreads out from the East coast of North America and across the “pond”, as per the British, to Europe where it travels South along until the North African coastline where it aligns with the Northern part of South America.

The Southern half continues on until it meets up with the Southern Ocean, near Antarctica.

Because the area is so expansive and the fish list so extensive, I’m going to break down the north Atlantic ocean into 3 more sections:East Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, and Western Atlantic Ocean, as referenced from Wikipedia.

The Northern Half of the Atlantic Ocean

East Atlantic Ocean

The east Atlantic ocean encompasses two major seas – the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea stretches between Europe and Asia whereas the Mediterranean Sea waves to countries like Italy, Greece, Algeria, Turkey, Lebanon, etc.

The Black Sea

Note: For visual reference, some fish have been linked and underlined to show pictures.

• Goby species – Black goby, Black Sea tadpole-goby, Bucchich’s goby, Caucasian dwarf goby, Flatsnout goby, Giant goby, Grass goby, Long tail dwarf goby, Marbled goby, Monkey goby, Mushroom goby, Pinchuk’s goby, Racer goby, Ratam goby, Rock goby, Round goby, Sand goby, Syrman goby, Transparent goby
• Blenny species – Adriatic blenny, Montagu’s blenny, Mystery blenny, Peacock blenny, Roche’s snake blenny, Rusty blenny, Sphinx blenny, Tentacled blenny, Tompot blenny, Zvonimir’s blenny
• Sturgeon species – Beluga sturgeon, Bastard sturgeon, Persian sturgeon, Starry sturgeon
• Mackerel species – Atlantic chub mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel, Black sea horse mackerel
• Long-snouted seahorse
• European anchovy

The Mediterranean Sea

• Pipefish species – Black-striped pipefish, Broad-nosed pipefish, Greater pipefish, Narrow-snouted pipefish, Pelagic pipefish
• Goby species are similar to above list
• Seahorse species – Long-snouted seahorse, Short-snouted seahorse
• Shark species – Angular roughshark, Bignose shark, Bramble shark, Copper shark, Dusky shark, Little sleeper shark, Sawback angelshark, School shark
• Catshark species – Blackmouth catshark, Small-spotted catshark
• Boops boops
• Red-black triplefin
• John Dory

*Fun Fact: John Dory is a famous fish dish used in restaurants, most notably “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Master Chef”.*

The North Atlantic Ocean

This third of ocean joins with the Baltic Sea, which is located in Northern Europe surrounding Denmark, Finland, Russia, Estonia, etc., and the North Sea, which lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.

The Baltic Sea

• Atlantic cod
• Goby species – Black goby, Common goby, Painted goby, Sand goby, Two-spotted goby
• Flounder species – Baltic flounder, European flounder
• Eel species – European eel, Great sand eel, Raitt’s sand eel
• Atlantic herring
• Viviparous eelpout
• Garfish

By The image created by © Yuriy Kvach, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

The North Sea

• Many goby species similar to the Baltic Sea list
• European anchovy
• Spotted sea bass
• Atlantic cod
• Pipefish species
• Haddock
• Common sea snail
• Atlantic halibut
• Ray species – Thornback ray, Common skate, Marbled electric ray, Blonde ray, Spotted ray

The Western Atlantic Ocean

Now that we’re out of the colder waters, minus the Mediterranean and Black Sea waters, it’s time to swim in the Caribbean sea and dip our toes into the Gulf of Mexico.

The Caribbean Sea

This part of the sea covers three main islands that are perfect for scuba-diving: Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Lesser Antilles (Trinidad and Tobago).

Cuba

• Atlantic blue marlin
• Shark species – Caribbean reef shark, Finetooth shark, Nurse shark, Shortfin mako shark
• Cuban ribbontail catshark
• Great barracuda
• Cuban chimaera
• Southern puffer
• Stoplight parrotfish
• Blackcap basslet

Dominican Republic

• Atlantic blue fin tuna
• Catshark species – Antilles catshark, Broadgill catshark, Chain catshark, Hoary catshark, Roughtail catshark, Smallfin catshark, Springer’s sawtail catshark, Boa catshark
• Marlin species – Atlantic blue marlin, White marlin
• Many species of shark
• Stingray species – Bluntnose stingray, Chupare stingray, Longnose stingray
• Parrotfish species – Blue parrotfish, Bluetip parrotfish, Princess parrotfish, Queen parrotfish, Rainbow parrotfish, Stoplight parrotfish
• Honeycomb moray
• Spotfin butterfly fish
• Jack-knifefish

Lesser Antilles (Trinidad and Tobago)

• Medusa blenny
• Shortstripe goby
• Yellowline goby
• Flagfin or Blackfin blenny
• Gymnoscyphus (a small species of clingfish) ~ By Izuzuki – http://www.izuzuki.com/, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

The Gulf of Mexico

• Shad species – Alabama shad, Skipjack shad
• Killifish species – Diamond killifish, Gulf killifish, Rainwater killifish, Striped killifish
• Catshark species – Broadgill catshark, Chain catshark, Campeche catshark
• Gulf chimaera
• Dwarf seahorse
• Gulf toadfish
• Neon goby
• Striped burrfish
• Northern pipefish

The Southern Half of the Atlantic Ocean

This area continues where the North Atlantic ends and goes South until it joins with the Southern Ocean near Antarctica. From there it spreads East to the West coast of Africa.

With the Pacific Ocean on the West side, and the Indian Ocean on the East, the list of fish is extensive, so I’ve only selected a handful of the more notable species:

• Angelfish – there are over 100 species with most residing in the Southern Hemisphere
• Barracuda
• Manta ray
• Moray eel
• Pufferfish
• Wrasse – some species, which can be seen around sharks, can be found in the warm temperate, coastal waters of the Southern Atlantic.

Conclusion

This ocean has many natural resources, with the oil and gas sector coming in at number one and fishing following it up in second.

Water, that’s important for us to keep hydrated like I mentioned in a previous article titled Why Water is Important in our Life, is also essential for fish to stay alive.

They need the water to ensure their survival and if a gas or oil leak happens, it can come at catastrophic and deadly costs. Does anyone remember the BP oil spill along the Gulf of Mexico in 2010?

As for the second industry, fishing is a staple industry to ensure good seafood reaches our tables, but over-fishing has become a problem in recent decades.

Some species of fish, like the Atlantic cod, Albacore tuna, Atlantic salmon, and others have been over-fished which risks destroying habitats and disrupting food sources.

Many sharks, approx. 100 million sharks are killed annually for their dorsal fins, which are used to make shark-fin soup in some cultures in China, but the rest of the carcass tends to be wasted, thrown overboard still alive to sink to the bottom.

If you want to do your part, here are some ways to consume fish that is safe to dwindling numbers:

• Find a source that is environmentally friendly if it isn’t caught locally by a fish monger or by line.
• If you’re going fishing, know what you’re fishing for. Some species might be dwindling in one area but thriving in another.
• Look for sustainably sourced fish, like farm-raised, by looking online.
• The most sustainable fish are: bi-valves, mackerel, Pollock, halibut and king crab as they’re readily available
• Be aware of the ever-changing list of endangered species.

I hope you enjoyed this article, if you haven’t done so already and want to learn more about other Ocean fish, check out this article about the Pacific Ocean Fish Species – a Spectacular List in the Largest Ocean of 5 – Everything Nature and More.

Also, feel free to comment below.

Earth is Heart!