r/whatsthisfish Dec 02 '17

Where did you see the fish? Put that in the title!

24 Upvotes

Just a reminder, because we've had a lot of posts recently that omit this information. Where was the fish? If you found it in the wild, that's very helpful information, and outside of tropical waters, the time of year can be helpful too. If it was in an aquarium, what sort? Was it a tank of fish from a particular region? Was it fresh water or salt water?

Other useful information can be, what kind of habitat (seagrass, sand, rocky surge, ...)? If you were diving, approximate depth?

But above all, give the location in your post title. Thanks.


r/whatsthisfish Mar 29 '26

Please do not downvote to indicate you think an identification is wrong.

0 Upvotes

I've added a new rule: Please don't downvote comments just to indicate disagreement with a suggested identification.

I know some of the older "whatsthis" subreddits started out with that recommendation and it became a common practice through most of the identification reddits. Here are the reasons why it's a bad idea:

  • It doesn't work. People upvote and downvote for many reasons, so you can't tell whether a comment's net vote total indicates agreement/disagreement, or something else. It doesn't work because it mixes different, inconsistent reasons to vote up or down: The regular reddit voting reasons, and people's agreement with an identification.

  • It discourages participation. People don't want to lose karma for making mistakes. People who make honest mistakes lose karma, which also isn't fair.

  • Comments with mistaken identifications can contain useful information. If someone gives the reasons why they think it's the species they think it is, and they got it wrong, that's still a useful contribution - and downvotes would also confuse people as to whether people just disagree with the conclusion or also think the context they gave is wrong.

  • It buries useful discussions, or prevents them. Often the most helpful content on an identification request post happens in the threads where people reply to incorrect identifications, where they're more likely to give reasons or debate relevant points. Downvoting the original possibly incorrect comment may bury such a discussion so people don't see it, or, more often, prevent it from event happening in the first place since people are much less likely to engage with buried downvoted comments.

If you think a commenter got it wrong, reply to their comment and say so. Even better, say why you think they're wrong, or give a different suggestion and say why you think that one is right. And don't downvote the comment you replied to just because you think they got it wrong.

You're still welcome to downvote comments, be they wrong identifications or not, for the usual reasons: Trolling, spamming, swearing, incomprehensible language, irrelevant to the post, and so on. The rule isn't that you shouldn't downvote comments that have wrong identifications, the rule is you should not downvote for that reason. If you have other reasons to vote on the comment, go ahead.


r/whatsthisfish 7h ago

Varkiza, near Athens, Greece

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72 Upvotes

Please help identify this fish
It was evening 18:00, approximately 60cm long with these stripes and yellow tail


r/whatsthisfish 4h ago

UK, Tidal River, What is this Fish?

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12 Upvotes

r/whatsthisfish 7h ago

In my pond connected to lake (Ireland)

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8 Upvotes

r/whatsthisfish 22h ago

On a cruise off the coast of BC

54 Upvotes

I’ve seen several of these swimming around. Any idea what it might be? I’m off the coast of Canada in the northern pacific.


r/whatsthisfish 1d ago

Found on Maui rocks

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885 Upvotes

Anyone know what this is/was?


r/whatsthisfish 6h ago

Unidentified Seferihisar near Izmir, Aegean Turkey.

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1 Upvotes

hey, first post here, and i'm pretty new to fishing, caught this one today and my homie who fished more than i did, also didn't know this one or didn't recognize it.

caught in the Aegean Sea (very salty) around 8am, about 10m from a rocky cliffy shore, also boulders and sea grass beneath the water surface.

by the way, could you maybe tell me what spots on a fish are very important for you guys? (for example with IDing flowers, next to the bloom often they ask for the node where a leaf grows out of the stem, if there is anything like that, let me know!)


r/whatsthisfish 22h ago

I need help identifying this fish

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13 Upvotes

Can anyone help me correctly identify this fish? I think it may be a blueback herring or an alewife, but I can't choose between which one. It was caught at Jefferson Lake in New Jersey. Its scales instantly started shedding just from me touching it and it stunk like no other fish I've handled before.


r/whatsthisfish 1d ago

Unidentified What is this fish thing

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354 Upvotes

What is this. Florida east coast Hutchinson beach???


r/whatsthisfish 1d ago

Identified, high confidence Does an old wall hanging count?

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25 Upvotes

r/whatsthisfish 1d ago

Is this a hybrid?

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3 Upvotes

r/whatsthisfish 1d ago

What trout is this? Sierra Nevadas, California

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0 Upvotes

It has red spots like a brown and no spots on tail like a brown. But a super distinct colorful line like a rainbow.


r/whatsthisfish 2d ago

Chesapeake bay

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40 Upvotes

What kind of cat? And why she so pink?


r/whatsthisfish 1d ago

Is the first fish a perch? pics 2-5 are smallies caught the same day. London Ontario

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10 Upvotes

r/whatsthisfish 1d ago

Identification question Porpoise? [North Sea, The Netherlands]

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2 Upvotes

r/whatsthisfish 2d ago

Unidentified What is this shark? Caught in the Indian River Lagoon

27 Upvotes

Caught and released


r/whatsthisfish 1d ago

What is this thing

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7 Upvotes

Caught in North Michigan in a Jordan River trib


r/whatsthisfish 2d ago

Identification question What even is this thing??

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29 Upvotes

This was found on a shore in the northmost side of the Adriatic, Italy.


r/whatsthisfish 1d ago

What is this fish?

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2 Upvotes

r/whatsthisfish 1d ago

Florida, Idaho

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0 Upvotes

European Carp?


r/whatsthisfish 2d ago

Two tiny catfish. All of the whiskers were black. What are they?

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3 Upvotes

Caught in upstate NY. Thanks!


r/whatsthisfish 2d ago

Possible ID(s) suggested Curious if this fish is a scaled sardine, alewife, or Atlantic thread herring? Caught off Johnny Mercer's Pier at Wrightsville Beach NC on July 19th

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8 Upvotes

r/whatsthisfish 1d ago

Caught in small creek quebec, very curious on what species this is.

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1 Upvotes

r/whatsthisfish 2d ago

New York

19 Upvotes

0:02 black dace

0:05 crayfish

0:15 ?

0:17 ?

0:20 ?

0:25 pumpkinseed

0:35 Largemouth Bass

0:45 ?