The human animal evolved on the semi-arid savannah and associated woodlands.
All life depends on water, and we depended on the rivers, lakes, and marshes to survive the often fierce African heat. This meant we were 'tied' to adjacent watercourses and lakes, and the fish and freshwater shellfish and crustaceans they contained. Access to the aquatic resources of the larger rivers and lakes were probably denied us, as they were - and still are - 'guarded' by crocodiles and hippopotami.
But we gathered fish from drying water courses in the dry seasons, and on the Eastern Coast the seaboard was once much more extensive due to lower sea levels in the glacial periods. No doubt we gathered marine shellfish, crabs, snails, and tidal pools fish.
With the radiation out of Africa into monsoonal Asia, permanent water courses were available to us, alive with small fish, and crustaceans. And we walked straight into a much more extensive shoreline reef system, and more extensive estuarine mangrove swamps. So we have been eating aquatic animals since the beginning of our evolution. Some people believe that because aquatic foods are almost the sole source of certain readily assimilable fats essential for human brain development, we were only able to become large-brained because we regularly included fish and other aquatic animals in our diet.
Marine reefed shorelines backed by forest, and intersected with rivers emptying into the sea, are one of the most rich areas for foraging food.
Such highly favorable environments are limited in number, and liable to be over-exploited,
even in prehistoric times. Today, we compensate with technology to reach resources that could never have been available to our ancestors. As a result, we can easily include aquatic animals as part of our diet, limited only by the amount of money we have.
Fish, crabs, shrimps, and shellfish are concentrated forms of protein, and seem to have oils that help protect against heart disease. The particular oils in fish are vital to the development of the human brain, and are passed thru' human milk to the developing infant. We should include as much aquatic food in our diet as we can afford or enjoy, avoiding only the 'top of the food chain' predatory fish in order to minimize the intake of the mercury and other chemicals we have polluted the sea with.

The cycle of seasonal but unreliable rains with its concomitant filling of smaller watercourses and subsequent slow drying out again has been going on so long in Africa that one of the fish, the African lungfish, Protopterus sp., has evolved to survive in a-semi desiccated 'suspended animation' in the hardened mud of the dried up river until the next rains releases it. These fish were probably only accessible when the rivers were very shallow, but before they had burrowed into the mud. Nevertheless, they would have been a regular, if intermittent resource.
 
Even the summer wet season may have had it's fishing opportunities. Shoals of small 'minnows' (various species of the genus Barbus) increase in population rapidly following the summer rain. The particularly common Barbus viviparus likes shallow waters.
 
On the African eastern coast the seaboard was once much more extensive due to lower sea levels in the glacial periods. No doubt we gathered marine shellfish, crabs, snails, and fish of tidal pools and the local tropical reefs.
Africa has an equally rich offshore fish resource, with seasonal 'bait fish' shoals of sardine, shad, mullet, and others shoals, with mid level and higher predators such as mackerel and Tuna, Thunnus sp., preying on them, and other predatory fish such as 'Leerfish', Lichia amia, coming into the surf after them. The large, murky-water predator the 'kob' fish, Argyrosomus hololepidotus, lurked around river mouths, waiting for passing small fish. The chances our ancestors were able to exploit this resource were rather slim.
 
The huge African lakes such as Lake Victoria and Lake Tangyinika (32,900 km²) are a bit like inland seas. The large 'pelagic' fish of the body of the lake, such as the Lake Tanganyika Perch, Lates angustifrons, (up to 58 kgs) were in effect inaccessible. Even the super abundant freshwater sardines (Limnothrissa miodon and Stolothrissa tanganicae) tend to lurk in the depths of the lake by day, and only come to the surface at night. But the smaller shoreline fish, many of them small cichilids, may have been accessible among the rocky reefs and easily seen in its crystal waters. Lake Tangyanika and the rivers that drain into it have a rich diversity of fish species -237 different species, most of them small to medium sized fish of the Cichlidae family ('Cichilids', one of the types of 'tropical fish' often seen in pet shops).

That Africa in general has an abundance of fish species is illustrated by the fact that there are 38 species of 'freshwater sardine' (family Clupeidae) in Africa, with only 2 of those 38 species being in Lake Tangyanika.
 
Large river systems and their tributaries, such as the Nile, also have rich fish life, including large perch, such as the Nile River Perch, Lates niloticus, (it is also widespread in the Ethiopian regional river basins, occurring in the Senegal and Zaire rivers, Lakes Tchad, Rudolph, Volta and Tana) and the whole cascade of smaller species down to the abundant fresh water sardines. But again, in many watercourses the crocodile is a disincentive to try to exploit the food source
 
With the radiation out of Africa into monsoonal Asia, permanent water courses were available to us, alive with small fish, shrimps other and crustaceans. And we walked straight into a much more extensive shoreline reef system, one of the most productive food sources there is. The main resource would have been sea slugs, crabs, crustaceans, snails and shellfish. In other areas, extensive estuarine mangrove swamps teemed with crabs, small fish, flatfish, and some shellfish. Moving into the Mediterranean and coastal Europe, we were moving into seafood paradise. Shellfish resources were especially rich, and like hunter gatherers of recent times, certainly highly valued.
 
Lakes and inland seas in Eurasia provided rich aquatic resources. A site ('Ohalo II') on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in the Jordan Valley dated to over 19,000 years old shows that we were eating large numbers of fish as part of a seasonally mixed diet that included gazelles, tree seeds (acorns), fruit, and other plant parts, including wild wheat and wild barley.
 
So we have been eating aquatic animals almost since the beginning of our evolution, even if perhaps intermittently and seasonally  in Africa, (except on the Eastern coast, where it was probably a regularly exploited resource - 125 thousand year old stone tools and obsidian blades have been found in local reef systems. The oldest record of 'seafood' is a million year old fossilised disarticulated whale skeleton - presumed to have beached -associated with stone tools, and found in Angola). We probably ate aquatic animals regularly - and fiercely defended the aquatic resource - once we moved into the more regular climate of Asia and Europe.
 
Marine reefed shorelines backed by forest, and intersected with rivers emptying into the sea, are one of the richest areas for foraging food. Such highly favorable environments are limited in number, and liable to be over-exploited, even in prehistoric times. The number of humans per square mile was absolutely limited by the productivity of the territory a tribal clan lived in. While local populations of small land animals in a given territory can be hunted to virtual extinction, marine resources tend to be more 'self replenishing' from other areas of the continental shelf, and less seasonal.
 
Because we are so dependent on water, we have always been living 'with' aquatic creatures, whether marine or freshwater. Sometimes the resource would have been very small - maybe the local frog population in a water hole - but it was always a part of the range of our 'natural supermarket'.
 
Today, the human population is so huge, the resources of lakes and shoreline are too small to be able to feed us all. We compensate with technology to reach open ocean - even deep Antarctic -  resources that could never have been available to our ancestors. As a result, we can easily include aquatic animals as part of our diet, limited only by the amount of money we have.
 
Our ancestors probably ate mainly shellfish and snails and crustaceans on the shoreline, and freshwater fish such as eels and lamprey inland. For cultural reasons Westerners eat few sea snails, but their shellfish cousins are universally popular. Today, it doesn't matter what we eat, we should simply include as much aquatic food in our diet as we can afford or enjoy, avoiding only the 'top of the food chain' predatory fish in order to minimize the intake of the mercury and other chemicals we have polluted the sea with, and with one eye on the occasional food safety issues with shellfish.

How well suited are aquatic animals to human physiology and consequent health? Well, fish, crabs, shrimps, and shellfish are concentrated forms of protein; most importantly, they seem to have oils that help protect against heart disease, and their oils are particularly well matched to the growth needs of the brain of human infants.
 
A lot of the demonstrated coronary health benefits of fish ( in particular) consumption centers on the 'omega-3' fatty acid content of fish in general. It has been convincingly reasoned, principally by Dr.Artemis Simopoulos, author of 'The Omega Plan', that the Western diet is, in effect, unnatural. That is, because we no longer gather and hunt, but rely in part on 'unnaturally' concentrated omega-6 plant oils to compose part of the industrial diet, we are consuming excessive omega-6 essential fats (oils are 'fats') relative to omega 3. To compound things, the shift in what we are now choosing to eat, plus the effects of processing, has resulted in a relatively deficient intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fats in the first place.
 
Dr.Simopoulos argues the ratio of omega -6 fatty acids to omega-3 should be an intake of no more than 4 of omega-6 fats to1 of omega-3 fats (4:1).

Some claim the most evolutionarily appropriate ratio is 1:1. Generalizing, shellfish have a highly favorable omega-3 ratio of around 1:2. A few have much more, a few have less. Fish generally also have a highly favorable ratio of around 1:2, some-for example sardines-very much better again)
 
The average ratio for the population as a whole in the USA today is around a massively inappropriate 17 omega-6 to 1 omega-3. (17:1) !
 
We need to either increase the ratio of omega-3 oils we take in by replacing some omega-6 oil intake with omega-3 oils, or decrease the amount of omega-6 oils we eat. Probably both strategies together work best.

Fatty fish are rich in two particular forms of omega-3 fatty acids called 'docosahexaenoic acid' (DHA), and 'eicosapentanoic acid' (EPA).
 
The body can make the above two very important (to the bodies physiology) forms of omega-3 fatty acids from another omega-3 fatty acid, 'linolenic acid'. A serving (84 grams/3 ounces) of salmon has the same amount of omega-3 polyunsaturated fats as the best plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids - a handful of walnuts or one and a half tablespoons of canola oil . But the salmon is rich in DHA and EPA, whereas the plant sources are not. Research is suggesting that the body is so inefficient at converting linolenic acid to DHA and EPA that many times greater amounts of the plant sources would have to eaten to gain the amount of DHA and EPA in salmon. In other words, salmon once a week is equivalent to walnuts or canola oil every day.
 
Again, fish provides the most benefit when considering how to increase your omega-3 intake.

Omega-3 fats ('fatty acids'), eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA), so rich in fatty fish, help keep us alive and healthy. Our bodies need these fatty acids as the raw materials to manufacture a series of hormones collectively called 'prostaglandins'. The fat from fish helps our bodies maintain high levels of one prostaglandin in particular, 'PGE 3', which reduces blood platelet 'stickiness', and therefore significantly lowers the risk of blood clots and the resultant heart attack or stroke. High 'triglyceride levels' in the blood are associated with risk of heart attack, and PGE 3 helps to decrease triglycerides to a more natural level, thereby reducing risk of heart attack further.
 
Unsurprisingly, several studies in the United States ( Journal of the American Medical Association, 1995; 274:1359-1362 and JAMA 1998;279:23-8 ) found eating one serving a week of "fatty fish," a week can reduce the risk of sudden death from cardiac arrest by around 50% percent over people who ate fish less than once a month. 'Fatty' fish include sardines, tuna, herring, salmon and mackerel.
 
There are other hints on the importance of aquatic foods. A correlation has been found (in American woman) between highest shellfish and seafood consumption and reduced risk of colorectal cancer (Nutrition and Cancer 28(3): 276-81; 1997.), and the New Zealand green lipped mussel, Perna canaliculus, has been sold in freeze dried extract form as a substance that has been shown to reduce the symptoms of some forms of arthritis (oil from other mussel species have not had an effect). Recently the oils in this same species have been shown to kill some cancer cells in test tube experiments. There has been no study to test it's effectiveness in human subjects, where the oil is affected by many natural metabolic pathways.
 
Leaving aside protective effects, fish and other aquatic foods are important sources of minerals, in particular. Some fat rich fish, such as salmon and halibut, are also a good source of vitamin A and D. Fish in general tend to be a rich mineral source, and saltwater fish in particular, are an excellent source of iodine. Shellfish are also iodine rich, a good source of selenium; and along with crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters, are a good source of zinc, with oysters being particularly zinc rich. (Zinc is much less abundant in the western diet since the replacement of zinc galvanized domestic water pipes with copper and with high density plastic pipes.)  Oysters, ironically, used to be regarded as the poor persons food, they were once so abundant.

Most natural modern sources
Fishing has, until recently, been hunting. In fact, fish are the only animals we hunt and popularly eat. Hunting fish is the residue of a million year way of life that is now extinguished. Farmed fish are fed on concentrated pellets made from a variety of protein sources. Some of these sources may be high in omega-6 fatty acids. When these formulations are fed, the 'oil profile' of the fish changes from what it is in wild populations (the same effect happens with most feedlot finished cattle, pigs, and probably with chickens). Farmed fish have up to 1.5 times more fat than wild fish, and a large increase in omega 6 polyunsaturated fats, with a concomitant decrease in other polyunsaturated fats. Some farmed fish  have practically none of the desirable linolenic (omega-3) fatty acids. The kinds and amounts of amino acids, on the other hand, is very little different, whether wild or farmed.
 
Canned wild caught salmon, canned mackerel, and sardines canned in spring water are undoubtedly the best foods to easily and cheaply approximate the aquatic component of the natural human diet. Both are high in omega-3 fats, with sardines a particularly rich source. The fine bones in both products are soft and easily eaten, and therefore an excellent source of calcium.
 
Atlantic mackerel, Scomber scombrus, are particularly rich in fats (about 17 grams in every 100 gram portion of cooked fish) nearly half of which are monounsaturated fats, and around a quarter polyunsaturated. Other mackerel species have lesser amounts of fats (canned jack mackerel, Trachurus symmetricus, for example, has only about 6 grams per 100 gram portion).
 
Fish are generally quite high in monounsaturated fats. Eel species in general are particularly rich in monounsaturated fats-nearly two thirds of their 15 grams of fat in every 100 gram portion is monosaturated.(curiously, eels are also an excellent source of vitamin A - comparing favorably with some animal organ meats). Olive oil of the rivers and oceans?

Our ancestors ate just about everything, and the internal organs were doubtless no exception. Fish roe, the two egg sacs of female fish, is quite extraordinarily high in omega-3 oils. Around a third of the fat is omega-3. Fish roe is quite strong flavored, and needs to be dried or cooked. Some fish, such as shad, have much less strongly flavored roe. Smoked fish roe is considered a connoisseur delicacy. Salmon sperm sacs have long been considered a delicacy by native peoples, but they are an 'acquired taste' for most Euros.
 
Safety
One of the concerns with eating fish is mercury accumulation. Mercury appears naturally in the marine environment (and in some rivers fed with water from active geothermal areas). We have been exposed to some organic mercury through all our evolution. Mercury accumulation through unregulated industrial pollution is a reality, although it is mainly confined to polluted lakes in industrial areas, and to carnivorous fish at the top of the food chain, such as shark and swordfish and tuna. The sensible thing is not to eat very large amounts of predator fish. In particular avoid fish brains (not a problem for most of us), as mercury has been found to accumulate via a bizarre nerve ending pathway, from the environment, straight through the brain barrier.
 
"Swordfish and tuna are the only commercially popular fish that may have a mercury content above 1 ppm. [the maximum allowable amount] These two species accumulate mercury as they grow larger because they consume large amounts of small fish. Commercial fishermen capture tuna and swordfish at sea, far from any source of industrial pollution. The mercury in their system must come from natural sources. For years, we have probably eaten tuna and swordfish with mercury levels above FDA's limit without harmful effects. Analysis of museum specimens of tuna caught from 1879 to 1909 reveal that they contain levels of mercury as high as those in fish being caught today. Scientists therefore conclude that mercury levels in tuna, and probably swordfish, have not changed in the past 100 years...Researchers found that some fish, including tuna, can block and reduce the toxicity of mercury in their tissues. This research may explain how we have safely eaten fish containing levels of mercury higher than allowed by FDA. Most experts agree that the 1 ppm action level for methyl mercury in fish has a considerable margin of safety built into it.

Only one suspected case of methyl mercury poisoning occurred in the U.S. from eating fish. A woman on a fad diet ate 12-1/2
ounces of swordfish a day for 10 months, and later returned to the diet for 4 or 8 week periods. The woman developed mild
mercury poisoning symptoms, but doctors misdiagnosed her symptoms on several occasions. The woman was off her diet for 5
months and lost almost all her symptoms by the time the doctors suspected mercury poisoning. Samples of her hair, however,
still retained high but not toxic mercury levels. Doctors could not confirm the diagnosis of mild mercury poisoning, but believed
the excessive consumption of swordfish caused the symptoms.  "
(US Government public statement.)

The health benefits of eating fish in general are enormous. The benefits of eating fatty marine fish in particular are greater. There appears to be no significant health risk from eating common commercial fish (with the proviso above), and there appears to be preventable health risk from not eating fish, an evolutionarily important component of the human diet.
 
Shellfish can be affected by natural algal 'blooms' that render them unsafe to eat. Public safety authorities then close the beds until the shellfish test as safe for consumption. Shellfish can also accumulate bacteria if they are grown near polluted waters. Most Western countries micro-organism test shellfish and other flesh foods to ensure they are not contaminated. Any meat food can sometimes be a source of food poisoning, such as listeriosis, and shellfish are no exception. To be ultra cautious, pregnant women may chose not to eat large amounts of shellfish during their pregnancy, to avoid the small risk of listeriosis  (which can sometimes affect an unborn fetus).
 
Again, so long as you can source clean and unpolluted shellfish, you are eating one of the most important natural foods of the human animal.

Electronic reading

General
Fish in recent history; buying and preparing - a magazine style article surveying European history of fish eating, and the options for obtaining fish today. Very good authoritative advice on selection and preparation. Backwoods Home magazine site.
 
Fish in the diet of a semi hunter gather people prior to European colonization - the Maori. A fascinating overview of the species, preserving techniques, and freshwater and marine fish economy of natural man in temperate and warm temperate New Zealand.
 
Fossil whale and associated stone tools. A brief note of ongoing research at this Angolan site. Includes a nice picture of the skeleton.

Nutrional value of fish
Fish and nutrition-a nutritional overview page from the FAO, with particular emphasis on the importance of fish in Less Developed Countries.

Some African fish species
33 marine fish species and 21 fresh water fish species are described at the Fishing Africa site
African Lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus) picture of one of the four African species, University of Sydney
 Jewfish Argyrosomus hololepidotus (Mulloway, Soapie, Butterfish)
A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a fair picture; at the Sea-ex site

International
Sardines - how they can them -fascinating description at the Chicken of the Sea® site
 
Fish landed in the North American Markets, native and imported

Regulatory Fish Encyclopedia Excellent photos, plus scientific names for over 100 species of North American and Oceanic fish landed for market. Mainly good for the photos and identification notes.

Fish of the North Atlantic CoastA site describing fishing practices and some selected species from the North Atlantic, including tuna, herring, periwinkles and sea urchins. At the Grand Manan site.

Marine fish of the Pacific Northwest

7 common fish (ling, anchovy, sole, Pacific herring, flounder, surf perch and white croaker) are described on  fact sheets at the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission giving the habitat, range, description and use. Includes nice drawings.

Estuary and Wetland Dependent Fish of the Pacific Northwest

Life history, fact sheets, mainly on Salmon, in the Pacific Northwest of USA at the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. An easy read information source for anything to do with conserving Salmon and their habitat.

Barracuda Sphyraena sp.

at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.

Bass, Small Mouthed

A basic fact sheet at the fishweb site on the life history, size, habits, eating quality and value as a game fish. Includes a nice photo.

Catfish Ictalurus sp.

Photo and quick summary on season, flesh quality, taste at Phil's fish market site.

Cod, rock

Photo and quick summary on season, flesh quality, taste at Phil's fish market site.

Flounder

Photo and quick summary on season, flesh quality, taste at Phil's fish market site. Various species of flounder are landed for sale in USA, including-Blackback Flounder Pleuronectes americanus, Arrowtooth Flounder Atheresthes stomias, Yellowtail Flounder Limanda ferruginea, Windowpane Scophthalmus aquosus

Hake Urophycis tenuis

at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.

Halibut, Californian

at the California Seafood Council site.Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.

Ling Cod Ophiodon elongatus

Photo and quick summary on season, flesh quality, taste at Phil's fish market site.

Mackerel, Pacific

Several mackerels are landed for sale in USA, including Spanish (Pacific, Pacific Sierra) Scomberomorus sierra, and Chub mackerel Scomber japonicus.
-at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.
-Photo and quick summary on season, flesh quality, taste at Phil's fish market site.

Mahi Mahi Coryphaena hippurus ('Dolphin')

Photo and quick summary on season, flesh quality, taste at Phil's fish market site.

Octopus

Photo and quick summary on season, flesh quality, taste at Phil's fish market site.

Orange roughy Hoplostethus atlanticus

At the Sealord company site, a brief history and distribution, notes on it's eating qualities and a vivid image.

Rockfish Sebastes sp.

at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.

Sable fish

at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.

Salmon

-at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.
-Salmon, Chinook, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha A  fact sheet by the Partnership for Arid Land Stewardship. Habitat, life cycle, recent history. Designed as an activity sheet for students in North America.
-Salmon, Chinook Oncorhynchus tshawytscha  A basic fact sheet at the fishweb site on the life history, size, habits, eating quality and value as a game fish. Includes a nice photo.
Salmon, Coho Oncorhynchus kisutch. A basic fact sheet at the fishweb site on the life history, size, habits, eating quality and value as a game fish. Includes a nice photo.
-Salmon, Pink Oncorhynchus gorbushia  Also known as 'humpies'. An easy read, good fact sheet at the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission site.
-Salmon, Walleye A basic fact sheet on the life history, size, habits, eating quality and value as a game fish at the fishweb site. Includes a nice photo, and a photo and note on the very closely related Saugeye.
-Salmon species A nice table at the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission site with thumbnails of 6 salmon species, linking to a good fact sheet on the habitat and life history of each one

Sand Dab

-Photo and quick summary on season, flesh quality, taste at Phil's fish market site.

Sardine, Pacific

at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.

Shark, Leopard

Photo and quick summary on season, flesh quality, taste at Phil's fish market site.

Shark, thresher Alopias vulpinus

at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.

Smelt

Also called whitebait, eaten whole. Photo and quick summary on season, flesh quality, taste at Phil's fish market site.

Snapper, Pacific red  Lutjanus sp.

Photo and quick summary on season, flesh quality, taste at Phil's fish market site.

Snapper, Ruby, Etelis coruscans

At the Hawaiian Seafood Buyers site, a very good one page fact sheet detailing the habitat, season, biology, and culinary value.

Sole

-at the California Seafood Council site. Several sole species are landed for sale in USA, including Dover Sole     Mircostomas pacificus, English Sole Pleuronectes vetulus, Gray Sole (Flounder) Glyptocephalus cynoglossus, Petrale Sole (Flounder) Eopsetia jordani, and Rex Sole Errex zachirus.

Swordfish  Xiphias gladius

at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.

Tuna, albacore Thunnus alalunga

at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.

At the Hawaii Seafood Buyers site, a very good one page fact sheet on the biology, season, catch nethods, cuts, culinary use, and a nice picture.

Tuna, bigeye, Thunnus obesus

At the Hawaii Seafood Buyers Guide site, this is a very good fact sheet on the biology, habitat and culinary qualities of this species, and includes a fairly good picture.

Tuna, bluefin

at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.

Tuna, skipjack Katsuwonus pelamis -

at the USA FDA Fish Regulatory encyclopedia site

At the Hawaii Seafood Buyers Guide site, this is a very good fact sheet on the biology, habitat, season and culinary qualities of this species, and includes a nice picture

Tuna, yellowfin Thunnus albacares

at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.

 

Shell fish and Crustaceans in the North American Market

• Clams

Photos and quick summary on season, taste at Phil's fish market site.
Clam, Pacific Little Neck  Protothaca staminea. An important recreationally gathered shellfish, this very good fact sheet Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission outlines it's habitat, range, ecology, and economic importance
• Crab, Dugness Cancer magister

- at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.
-Photo and quick summary on season, flesh quality, at Phil's fish market site.
- A very good easy read fact sheet Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission on the life cycle, habitat, ecology, issues, and economic value of this crab.
• Crab, spider (California King Crab)

- at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.
• Crab, rock

- at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.
• Lobster, California spiny

- at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.
-Photo and quick summary on season, taste at Phil's fish market site.
• Lobster, Maine

Photo and quick summary on season, taste at Phil's fish market site.
• Mussels, green lipped and black

Photo and quick summary on season, taste at Phil's fish market site.
Pacific Oyster Crassostrea gigas
A very good fact sheet at the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission on the life cycle, habitat, ecology, issues, and economic value of the Japanese Pacific Oyster, a food resource imperiled by pollution.
• Prawn, ridgeback (Sanata Barbara shrimp)

- at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.
• Shrimp Bay   Crangon franciscorum.

A very good fact sheet at the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission on the life cycle, habitat, ecology, issues, and economic value of this little used shrimp.
• Shrimp, spot (Spot prawn)

-at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.
• Shrimp, Pacific pink

- at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.
• Sea Urchin

- at the California Seafood Council site. Brief notes on the habitat, history of the fishery, present day catches and catching methods, main season, and eating quality. Includes a small line drawing.
 
Fish landed in Australia
• Dictionary of scientific and common names for Australian fish at the Government Fisheries site.
• Barramundi Lates calcarifer

Several nice pictures and great detail on habitat and how to catch them; at the fishnet site
• Eel, short finned and long finned Anguilla australis, A.reinhardtii

Great detail on habitat and how to catch them; at the fishnet site
• Gurnard, red Cheildonichthy kumu

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, plus a fair picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Gemfish Resea solandri

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a fair picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Jewfish Argyrosomus hololepidotus (Mulloway, Soapie, Butterfish)

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a fair picture; at the Sea-ex site
• John Dory Zeus faber

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a good picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Kingfish Seriola lalandi

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a fair picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Mullet, diamond scale Liza vaigiensis

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a good picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Mullet, sea Mugil cephalus

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a fair picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Murray Cod Maccullochella peeli

-Nice picture and great detail on habitat and how to catch them; at the fishnet site
-A good fact sheet on distribution, habitat, catching, size, eating qualities, plus a fair picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Orange roughy Hoplostethus atlanticus

At the Sealord company site, a brief history and distribution, notes on it's eating qualities and a vivid image.
• Redfish (nannygai, red snapper) Centrobryx affinis

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a fair picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Silver Trevally Pseudocaranx dentex

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a good picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Snapper Pagrus auratus

Nice picture and great detail on habitat and how to catch them;at the fishnet site
• Tuna, albacore Thunnus alalunga

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a good picture; at the Sea-ex site

Shell fish and Crustaceans Australian

• Balmain bug Ibacus peronii

-A diagram and short note on this very famous slipper lobster at Museum Victoria's 'Crustaceans of South Australia' site
-A good small tabular fact sheet on distribution, season,size, plus a good photo; at the Sea-ex site
• Crab, blue swimmer Portunus pelagicus

Photo and brief notes at the Queensland DPI Fish web site.
• Crab, mud Scylla serrata

Photo and brief notes at the Queensland DPI Fish web site.
• Lobster, Rock, Southern Jasus novaehollandiae

Good photo of a (cooked) specimen, and very brief note at Museum Victoria's 'Crustaceans of South Australia' site
• Moreton Bay Bug Thenus orientalis

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, preparation for market, plus a good picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Mussel, blue (black)Mytilus edulis

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, preparation for market, plus a good picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Prawn, King

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, preparation for market, plus a good picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Yabbie Cherax sp.

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, preparation for market, plus a good picture; at the Sea-ex site

Fish landed in New Zealand 

•  Australis Hake Merluccius australis

At the Sealord company site, a brief history and distribution, notes on it's eating qualities and a good image.
• Black Oreo Dory Allocyttus niger

At the Sealord company site, a brief history and distribution, notes on it's eating qualities and a good image.
• Gemfish Resea solandri

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a fair picture; at the Sea-ex sit
• Gurnard, red Cheildonichthy kumu

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, plus a fair picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Hoki

At the Sealord company site, a brief history and distribution, notes on it's eating qualities and a nice image.
• John Dory Zeus faber

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a good picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Kingfish Seriola lalandi

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a fair picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Ling Genypterus blacodes

At the Sealord company site, a brief history and distribution, notes on it's eating qualities and a nice image.
• Mackerel, English Scomber australasicus (slimy mackerel, blue mackerel)

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a fair picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Mullet, grey Mugil cephalus (sea mullet, striped mullet)

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a fair picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Orange roughy Hoplostethus atlanticus

At the Sealord company site, a brief history and distribution, notes on it's eating qualities and a vivid image.
• Silver Trevally Pseudocaranx dentex

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a good picture; at the Sea-ex site
• Smooth Oreo Dory Pseudocyttus maculatus

At the Sealord company site, a brief history and distribution, notes on it's eating qualities and a good image.
• Snapper Pagrus auratus

Nice picture and great detail on habitat and how to catch them;at the fishnet site
•  Squid, Arrow Nototodarus gouldi

At the Sealord company site, a brief history and distribution, notes on it's eating qualities and a vivid image.
• Tuna, albacore Thunnus alalunga

A good fact sheet on distribution, season, harvest, size, eating qualities, plus a good picture; at the Sea-ex site
Shell fish and crustaceans in the New Zealand market
• Mussel, green lipped Perna canaliculus

At the Sealord company site, very brief notes on their origin in New Zealand and an image of the meat.
• Paua Haliotis iris (Abalone)

At the Sealord company site, very brief notes on their harvest in New Zealand and a nice image of the shellfish.
• Pacific Oyster Crassostrea gigas

At the Sealord company site, very brief notes on their harvest in New Zealand and a nice image of the shellfish.

Fish landed in the United Kingdom, native and imported
The Aquarium Project- "This web site aims to act as a simple guide to the Identification of Sea Fish caught in and around the coastal waters of the United Kingdom". And does it very well. Good descriptive notes, notes on habitat, excellent photographs. Aimed as a fisherpersons guide. Outstandingly comprehensive in species covered.
Fishbase A searchable database of all European fish, giving brief notes on habitat, life history, form it is commercially presented in, and best cooking methods.

• Halibut, Atlantic

A short descriptive note at the British Marine Life Study Society
• Mackerel, Atlantic Scomber scombrus

A detailed fact sheet at the British Marine Life Study Society - habitat, life history, eating quality, and several good photos
 

The author rejects any responsibility for any decisions about life, diet, or anything else other than his own. Any action you take after reading the material here is solely your responsibility - seek advice from others, read critically and widely, don't accept everything you read here. You have been warned! Question everything.
 
Form your own opinion on these matters after reading widely and consulting appropriate professional advice, including advice of medical practitioners and professional nutritionists.