Fish

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This article is about fish in general. For the action of catching a fish, see fishing.

Fish are a number of collectable items in the Animal Crossing series. Players can catch them using a fishing rod. They can be donated to the museum to fill up the aquarium, sold to Tom Nook/Reese, or placed in the player's home inside of a Fish Tank, like a piece of furniture. However, only small fish tanks will be able to placed on top of furniture (e.g. A Table). Larger fish tanks must be put onto the floor. A large amount of fish emerge during the summer, a few unique species will emerge in autumn and spring, and there are almost none during the winter. Some villagers in City Folk will ask the player to try and catch a certain fish, and upon doing so, they will give an item to the player, which could be anything from an article of clothing to a piece of furniture.

Fish Sizes

In the series there are six different sizes of fish. Each fish is limited to its own shadow size. Sharks and sunfish are unlike other fish shadows because they show a fin in their shadow.

In New Leaf, there are now various catch sizes of each fish that can be kept track of and recorded into an encyclopedia. Every time the player catches a fish that is bigger than the original record, it will be overwritten. However the shadow size for each type remains the same, no matter how big or small the resulting catch size is.

This page requires additional images for the following reason: Reason: Needs New Horizons Fish (latest game)

Fish in Each Game

Animal Forest

Main article: Fish (Animal Forest)

In Animal Forest, there are 32 species of fish obtainable. The coelacanth is the only fish that can be caught in the ocean.

Animal Crossing

Main article: Fish (Animal Crossing)

In Animal Crossing, there are 40 species of fish obtainable.The herabuna from Animal Forest and Animal Forest+ has been replaced with the brook trout. The crawfish, frog, killifish, jellyfish, sea bass, red snapper, barred knifejaw, and arapaima were added.

Animal Forest e+

Main article: Fish (Animal Forest e+)

In the Japanese-only game, Animal Forest e+, there are an extra 8 species of fish, making 48 species of fish obtainable. The new species include the horse mackerel, puffer fish, dab, olive flounder, squid, octopus, seahorse, and swordfish (Called blue marlin in later games).

Wild World

Main article: Fish (Wild World)

In Wild World, a total of 56 fish are obtainable. Dropped fish include the herabuna, brook trout, giant catfish, small bass, and large bass. New fish include the yellow perch, king salmon, dorado, gar, sea butterfly, clownfish, zebra turkeyfish, football fish, tuna, ocean sunfish, hammerhead shark, and shark. No Animal Forest e+ endemics were dropped. In Wild World, 35 fish are freshwater and 21 are saltwater.

City Folk

Main article: Fish (City Folk)

In City Folk, a total of 64 fish are obtainable. No fish were dropped. New fish include the pike, neon tetra, surgeonfish, butterfly fish, napoleonfish, lobster (fish), moray eel, and ray. The placement of fish in this game is evened out. In City Folk, 37 fish are freshwater and 27 are saltwater.

New Leaf

Main article: Fish (New Leaf)

In New Leaf, a total of 72 fish are obtainable. Dropped fish include the jellyfish, while the octopus (fish) and lobster (fish) became Deep-sea creatures. New species include the soft-shelled turtle, tadpole, mitten crab, nibble fish, saddled bichir, blowfish, ribbon eel, giant trevally, saw shark, whale shark, and oarfish. The game features 42 freshwater fish and 30 saltwater fish.

New Horizons

Main article: Fish (New Horizons)

In New Horizons, a total of 80 fish are obtainable. Dropped fish include the barbel steed, eel, and rainbow trout. New fish include the ranchu goldfish, snapping turtle, tilapia, golden trout, betta, rainbowfish, sturgeon, anchovy, mahi-mahi, suckerfish, and barreleye. The game features 46 freshwater fish and 34 saltwater fish.

List of Fish

Below is a list of the fish in the series based on appearances. Images are based on most recent appearance.

Fish

Name Image Animal Forest Animal Forest+ Animal Crossing Animal Forest e+ Wild World City Folk New Leaf New Horizons Pocket Camp Anchovy - - - - - - - ✓ ✓ Angelfish ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Arapaima - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Arowana ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Barbel steed ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ - ✓ Barred knifejaw - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Barreleye - - - - - - - ✓ ✓ Betta - - - - - - - ✓ ✓ Bitterling ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Black bass Bass(prior to WW) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Blowfish - - - - - - ✓ ✓ Blue marlin Swordfish(prior to WW) - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Bluegill ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Brook trout - - ✓ ✓ - - - - Butterfly fish - - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ Carp ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Catfish ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Char Large Char(prior to WW) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Cherry salmon ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Clownfish - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Coelacanth ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Crawfish - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Crucian carp ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Dab - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Dace ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Dorado - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Eel ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ - Football fish - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Freshwater goby ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Frog - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Gar - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Giant catfish ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ - - - - Giant snakehead ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Giant trevally - - - - - - ✓ ✓ Golden trout - - - - - - - ✓ Goldfish ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Great white shark Shark(prior to NH) - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Guppy ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Hammerhead shark - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Herabuna ✓ ✓ - - - - - - Horse mackerel - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Jellyfish - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ - - Killifish - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ King salmon - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Koi ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Large bass ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ - - - - Loach ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Lobster - - - - - ✓ - - Mahi-mahi - - - - - - - ✓ Mitten crab - - - - - - ✓ ✓ Moray eel - - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ Napoleonfish - - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ Neon tetra - - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ Nibble fish - - - - - - ✓ ✓ Oarfish - - - - - - ✓ ✓ Ocean sunfish - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Octopus - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ - - Olive flounder - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Pale chub ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Pike - - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ Piranha ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Pond smelt ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Pop-eyed goldfish ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Puffer fish - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Rainbow trout ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ - Rainbowfish - - - - - - - ✓ Ranchu goldfish - - - - - - - ✓ Ray - - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ Red Snapper - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Ribbon eel - - - - - - ✓ ✓ Saddled bichir - - - - - - ✓ ✓ Salmon ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Saw shark - - - - - - ✓ ✓ Sea bass - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Sea butterfly - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Sea horse - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Small bass ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ - - - - Snapping turtle - - - - - - - ✓ Soft-shelled turtle - - - - - - ✓ ✓ Squid - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Stringfish ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Sturgeon - - - - - - - ✓ Suckerfish - - - - - - - ✓ Surgeonfish - - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ Sweetfish ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Tadpole - - - - - - ✓ ✓ Tilapia - - - - - - - ✓ Tuna - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Whale shark - - - - - - ✓ ✓ Yellow perch - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Zebra Turkeyfish - - - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

*Note: ^(GC) = Animal Crossing, ^(AFe+) = Animal Forest e+, ^(WW) = Wild World, ^(CF) = City Folk, ^(NL) = New Leaf, ^(NH) = New Horizons.

Trivia

• Not all "fish" are actually fish, though, but rather mere aquatic species. In New Leaf and New Horizons, some creatures were changed into deep sea creatures, however some remain on the list as "fish".
  • The frog, which is an amphibian.
  • The tadpole, which is the larval form of the frog, an amphibian.
  • The jellyfish, which is a cnidarian. Now a deep-sea creature in New Horizons.
  • The crawfish, which is a crustacean.
  • The lobster, which is also a crustacean. Now a deep-sea creature in New Leaf.
  • The octopus, which is a mollusc/mollusk. Now a deep-sea creature in New Leaf.
  • The squid, which is a mollusc/mollusk.
  • The Sea Butterfly, which is a mollusc/mollusk.
  • The Soft-shelled Turtle, which is a reptile.
  • The Snapping Turtle, which is a reptile.
• The whale, a mammal, only appears in Animal Crossing via a glitch. It can not be caught, but during Kapp'n's ferry ride to the island, it is possible to see this beast's silhouette. Although, the whale could be caught with an Action Replay device, it would crash the game.

Fish
Freshwater fish Angelfish • Arapaima • Arowana • Barbel steed • Bass • Betta • Bitterling • Black bass • Bluegill • Brook trout • Carp • Catfish • Char • Cherry salmon • Crawfish • Crucian carp • Dace • Dorado • Eel • Freshwater goby • Frog • Gar • Giant catfish • Giant snakehead • Golden trout • Goldfish • Guppy • Herabuna • Killifish • King salmon • Koi • Large bass • Loach • Mitten crab • Neon tetra • Nibble fish • Pale chub • Pike • Piranha • Pond smelt • Pop-eyed goldfish • Rainbowfish • Rainbow trout • Ranchu goldfish • Saddled bichir • Salmon • Small bass • Snapping turtle • Soft-shelled turtle • Stringfish • Sturgeon • Sweetfish • Tadpole • Tilapia • Yellow perch Saltwater fish Anchovy • Barred knifejaw • Barreleye • Blowfish • Blue marlin • Butterfly fish • Clownfish • Coelacanth • Dab • Flying fish • Football fish • Giant trevally • Great white shark • Hammerhead shark • Horse mackerel • Jellyfish • Lobster • Mahi-mahi • Moray eel • Napoleonfish • Oarfish • Ocean sunfish • Octopus • Olive flounder • Puffer fish • Ray • Red snapper • Ribbon eel • Saw shark • Sea bass • Sea butterfly • Seahorse • Squid • Suckerfish • Surgeonfish • Tuna • Whale shark • Zebra turkeyfish Navigation Fish • Fishing • Fishing Rod • Fishing Tourney • Key • King-sized fish • Museum • Ocean • Pond • River • River Pool • Trash • Tropical Seas • Waterfall