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Last Updated on March 12, 2024 by Jeremy
The Pacific ocean is vast, covering an area of 165,250,000 sq.km making it cover 46% of the Earth’s water surface.
This ocean is also the deepest, with its deepest part, Challenger Deep, in the Mariana trench, a staggering 10,928 meters (35,853 ft) below surface.
But, don’t worry because its mean depth is only 4,000 meters (13,000 ft).
With deep abysses throughout the Pacific ocean, it makes me wonder what other Pacific ocean fish species are lingering in the depths or what could be spotted swimming around the sunny reefs closer to the surface?
With such an expansive area to cover, I will break it down further into 3 sections: East Asia, North Pacific and Oceania.
Each category will be broken down further into countries so it would be easier to locate and only a select few species of fish will make this list.
There are simply too many to put on one list without it making it too educational and informative.
East Asia
This area covers China, Taiwan, Japan, North Korea, South Korea and Mongolia. Certainly, there will be many types of species within this list. Some you may have heard of, others, perhaps not.
~ To truly get a visual within each species you will notice certain fish that are underlined, simply scroll over and click the names to be directed to pictures. ~
China
- Evileye pufferfish
- Bare-naped goby
- Barred moray
- Chinese sturgeon
- Golden mandarin fish
- Spotless cat shark
- Ocellated shrimpgoby
Taiwan
- Red dragonet
- Black margined-scale sergeant
- Banded houndshark
- Blacktip saw tail cat shark
- Taiwanese barbel moray
- Dwarf gulper shark
- Long-bodied snake eel
Japan
- Japanese angelfish
- Japanese pygmy seahorse
- Birdbeak dogfish
- Bramble shark
- Purple chimaera (AKA Purple ghost shark)
- Crowned seahorse
- Lunartail puffer
- Snowflake moray
North and South Korea
- Alaska pollock
- Blackfin sea bass
- Korean splendid dace
- Pacific cod
- Northern snakehead
- Olive flounder
- Korean seahorse
Mongolia
* Most of the species are freshwater with an exception*
The North Pacific
This area covers the west side of North America coast along Canada and the United States south to the equator.
I have already referenced some marine mammals of North America in this article: North American Wildlife Animals – Over 457 Amazing Creatures! – Everything Nature and More, but here is the remaining list below.
~ Note: you can scroll over certain highlighted and underlined fish names to see the pictures of these species. ~
- Pacific halibut
- Sole – Butter sole, Flathead sole, Yellowfin sole
- Pacific salmon – Mate salmon, Coho/Koho salmon, Chinook salmon, Pink salmon, Sockeye salmon, Steelhead
- Cod – Lingcod, Pacific cod, Dark cod
- Gold country pollock
- Dolly Varden trout – Read more about where to catch some of these lake versions of this species in the Kootenay region from this article: What is the Kootenay Region? – A majestic 1st Glimpse of Beauty – Everything Nature and More
- Smooth lumpfish
- Giant wrymouth
Oceania
This next section covers all the area around Australia. Again, it will be broken down into countries to make it more specific and organized.
Being the third and final “section” of the Pacific Ocean, as per Wikipedia, this will highlight some more entertaining looking species of fish. Some of which, I personally have never heard of. Let’s also see what some of them look like!
~ Scroll over the highlighted and underlined fish to get a linked to a picture. ~
New Guinea
- Axelrod’s rainbowfish
- Barramundi (AKA Asian sea bass)
- Brown banded bamboo shark
- Papuan seerfish
- Saddleback clownfish
- Inconspicuous blue-eye
- New Guinea mud skipper
Australia
- Bright ghost shark
- Green jobfish
- Australasian snapper
- Handfish
- Solitary duckbill eel
- Pygmy devil ray (long horned modula)
- Coffinfish
Hawaii
- Surgeonfish – Achilles surgeonfish, Dussumier’s surgeonfish, Lined surgeonfish, Whitebar surgeonfish
- Banded angelfish
- Black marlin
- Doublespotted queenfish
- White-spotted puffer
- Butterfly fish – Teardrop butterfly fish, Threadfin butterfly fish
- Spiny seahorse
- Humuhumunukunukuapua’a (Hawaiian State Fish – Pictured Above)
Micronesia
- Blackside hawkfish
- Trevally – Bumpnose trevally, Coachwhip trevally, Blue trevally, Malabar trevally, Shadow trevally
- Bludger
- Milkfish
- Teardrop butterfly fish
New Caledonia
- White-banded anemonefish
- Bighead spurdog
- Chesterfield Island stingaree
- Catshark – Milk-eye cat shark, New Caledonia cat shark, Phallic cat shark, Starry cat shark, White-bodied cat shark, White-clasper cat shark
- High-finned dragonet
- Pointy-nosed blue chimaera
- Tailspot lantershark
New Zealand
- Big-belly seahorse
- Leafscale gulp shark
- New Zealand eagle ray
- Tasmanian blenny
- Velvet dogfish
- Parore
- Greenback horse mackerel
Palau
- Aerolate grouper
- Denise’s pygmy seahorse
- Pink skunk clownfish
- Humpback grouper
- Mini cardinal fish
- Titan triggerfish
Solomon Islands
- Horned tentacle goby
Species Galore
The world is full of diversity both on land and in the water. The oceans, especially the Pacific ocean with its deep, dark secrets, will one day give us more to gaze upon in both wonder and curiosity, even when new species are discovered all the time.
Some of those fish might be glimpsed whilst snorkeling on vacation or it might be on a documentary where the scientists use remote controlled vehicles to access the depths.
Regardless, it can be agreed that fish are not only nice and bright to look at, but also tasty to eat when fished sustainably.
Without completely losing my mind, I will end this article here, as there are way too many species to cover not only in the Pacific Ocean, but in All the worlds oceans.
Feel free to read up on these articles for other fish species:
Atlantic Ocean Fish Species – Earth’s 2nd Largest Body of Wonder
Indian Ocean Fish Species – The 3rd Largest Ocean on the Planet!
Arctic Ocean Fish Species – Swimming in the World’s Smallest Ocean of 5 – Spectacular
Southern Ocean Fish Species – Swimming in the World’s 2nd Smallest Ocean
Until then, leave a comment relating to your favorite Pacific Ocean fish species, or send a photo of your encounter with one so we can add to our Nature Gallery – Everything Nature and More page! Email us: jdenesovych@everythingnatureandmore.com
Earth is Heart!
Hi,
I like the Golden mandarin fish. They are also known as the golden spotted mandarin fish or the green mandarin fish and are a species of small, brightly coloured fish that are native to the coral reefs of the western Pacific Ocean. These fish are known for their vibrant colours, which can range from shades of green, orange, and yellow, to blue, purple, and red. They are a popular choice for aquarists due to their beautiful appearance and relatively peaceful nature. Golden mandarin fish are relatively small, typically reaching a maximum size of about 3 inches in length. They are typically found in shallow waters, where they feed on small invertebrates such as copepods and other tiny crustaceans.
I am also fascinated by copepods – copepods (if anyone who is reading this doesn’t know) are small, aquatic crustaceans that are found in a wide variety of habitats, including the oceans, rivers, and lakes. They are a vital part of the aquatic food web, serving as a food source for larger animals such as fish and whales. There are many different species of copepods, and they are found throughout the world, including in the Pacific Ocean.
Copepods are typically very small, ranging in size from about 0.2 millimetres to over 1 centimetre in length. They have a segmented body and are usually translucent or transparent in colour. Many species of copepods are planktonic, meaning they drift with the currents and are not capable of swimming against strong water flows.
Copepods play important roles in the ecosystem as primary consumers, feeding on algae and other small aquatic organisms. They are also important indicators of water quality, as their presence and abundance can be used to determine the overall health of an aquatic environment.
Thanks for a great article!!
Julia
Thank you Julia, for adding on an extensive description of other types of Pacific Ocean fish! And being your favorite ones, as well.
This adds to the ever growing species of aquatic animals that are found in the largest body of water in the world.