Alaskan Pollock (Theragra chalcogramma)

Alaskan Pollock or Theragra chalcogramma are the number one source of fish in the world. Believe it or not 3 million tons of Alaska Pollock are caught ever year in the North Pacific ocean. Unfortunately due to overfishing this species populations have been on the decline over the past 8 years.

Pollock fish have a white belly and can grow to about 3-1/2' in length weighing in at almost 50lbs! Alaskan Pollock can be easily identified by the lateral line that goes down the side of its body. These fish are from the Cod family Gadidae. Many ocean species rely Pollock as a food source including seals, whales, and Halibut.
Alaskan Pollock are often found around shipwrecks and feed on invertebrates, small fish and shrimp. Normally the larger Pollock are found deeper than small ones. Pollock can be caught by simply casting near structures with artificial lures. Mackerel Trees and Diamond Jigs are recommended or with live bait.

Also known as the Walleye Pollock or Mintai this fish is often used in fast food in places like Burger King, Dairy Queen, Arby's, and even in McDonald's famous Filet-O-Fish sandwich. If you have any Alaskan Pollock recipes please share them in the comments below...

Barreleyes (Macropinna microstoma)

Barreleyes or Macropinna microstoma is arguably the weirdest fish in the world.  This stranger creature has a translucent head that you can see right through!  Their eyes rotate upwards in their heads giving them the ability to actually see the area above itself! That's right, these deep sea creatures actually keep an eye on potential predators or food that is swimming in waters above them.
These pictures were taken off the coast of California, but little more is know about the habitat of this rarely seen fish. Barreleyes can grow to only about 4.4 cm and are also known as Spookfish. They are found in waters of 16 to 1015 meters deep. Check out this strange fish in action in the video below...

If you have any information you would like to share about the Barreleyes fish leave it in the comments below...

Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus)

The Atlantic Mackerel or Scomber scombrus is just one of the many different species known as Mackerels. These fish are quite common in the North Atlantic Ocean and are highly fished for their prized meat. Also known as the Boston Mackerel, they will often be found in schools of thousands and reach lengths of about 23" maximum. Their schooling nature make this fish easily overfished in places around the world.
Atlantic Mackerel are often eaten by other creatures including whales, threshers, dogfish, tuna, striped bass, cod, birds, squid and even porpoises. These salt water fish can easily be caught off of the shore or in shallow bays and piers. It doesn't take a heavy line to catch these fish, 15 pound test should be plenty. Mackerel trees are a form of bait that is said to work well. You can also use sand eels or sea worms to catch the Atlantic Mackerel.

Atlantic Mackerel are said to be very tasty in tomato sauce, but you tell me... What is your best Mackerel recipe? Leave yours in the comments below...

Tigerfish

There are several different species of Tigerfish including Hydrocynus vittatus, Hydrocynus forskalii and the massive Goliath Tigerfish (Hydrocynus goliath). These fish have sharp and VERY large teeth that look more like they came from a shark than a freshwater fish. Tigerfish are often found in places like the Congo river and in particularly Zimbabwe.Tigerfish are arguably the most fierce freshwater fish in the world rivaling the Piranha. These fish can reach mammoth sizes, the record Goliath Tigerfish of the Congo was 45kg! As you can imagine, due to their extreme appearance and large size they are a dream for anglers around the world. Tigerfish are notoriously difficult to catch, and are considered to be one of the best fighters and jumpers pound for pound. Tigerfish are said to hunt in packs like the Piranha, they are known to rip their prey apart piece by piece with their razor sharp teeth. There have even been unverified reports of attacks on humans! If you are one of the lucky people to ever catch a Tigerfish, you can prepare them a couple different ways. They are often fried or baked, but have a few more bones than some other fish fillets. To see this amazing creature in action check out the videos below of a African Tigerfish...

Lyretail Hogfish (Bodianus anthioides)

The Lyretail Hogfish or Bodianus anthioides looks like someone took two complete different fish and put them together. The front of this fish looks much like the standard Goldfish with its red and orange face. Take a look at the back of this fish though and you will see an amazing display of white and red with polka dots.

This saltwater Hogfish from the Labridae family can grow to about 8" in maximum length. This combine with the fact that they can be aggressive towards others in the aquarium make an aquarium of no less than 75 gallons acceptable. The Lyretail Hogfish should be provided plenty of hiding spaces as well. This will help keep them from becoming overly aggressive. Water temperatures of 72-78° F with a sg of 1.020-1.025 and a PH level of 8.1-8.4 is recommended. When young these fish will simply munch on parasites on its tank mates. After it becomes larger it should be fed meaty foods such as snails, worms, mussels, and small fish. In the wild this fish has the unique ability of blowing water onto the bottom sandy bottom to uncover its meal. It may even blow water over the sand to uncover food.

Blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus)

The Blobfish or Psychrolutes marcidus is without a doubt in one of the ugliest fish in the ocean. These saltwater fish have what resembles a large nose in between two eyes and almost seem to be frowning! I guess with an ugly mug like that you would be frowning too. This deep sea fish is often found at extreme depths off of the coasts of Tasmania and Australia. For this reason the Blobfish is rarely seen by the human eye.The Blobfish has the ability to withstand the high pressure of these depths because its body is actually mostly a gelatinour mass that has a density just less than water. This gives the Blobfish the ability to float right above the bottom floor without using much energy. As you can imagine, with the name like the Blobfish they aren't extremely active. In fact, most of the food that they eat simply floats right by them. This deep sea fish simply picks and chooses what to eat. Blobfish are often caught by fisherman that bottom trawling with nets.

One weird fact about the Blobfish is that when reproducing they will actually sit on their eggs until hatching. If you have any more information about the Blobfish that you would like to share please do so in the comments below...

Kaudern's Cardinal (Pterapogon kauderni)

The Kaudern's Cardinal or Pterapogon kauderni is a popular aquarium fish from the Apogonidae family. It has black stripes along its white body with strange spots along the fins and a tail that makes it quite striking in appearance. This fish is also known as the Banggai Cardinalfish or the Longfin Cardinalfish and are actually bred to be much hardier than species that live in the wild. In a natural setting these fish are often found around coral reefs, seagrass beds, and open areas of sand and rubble.The Kaudern's Cardinal should be housed in an aquarium of at least 40 gallons with plenty of hiding spots. These fish are quite small only growing to about 3" in length. This saltwater fish should be kept at 72-78° F, sg 1.020-1.025, and a PH level of 8.1-8.4. Don't keep these fish in a very large group as adults can become aggressive towards their tankmates. They can be fed bloodworms, feeder shrimp and occasionally live feeder fish. A normal life span for a Kaudern Cardinal is around 4 years or less. To check out this species in action watch this video...

This fish is considered quite easy to breed. The male Cardinalfish actually carries the eggs in in mouth to protect them from potential predators until they hatch. During this time the male doesn't eat anything so don't be alarmed.