Inshore ground

Habitat · Last reviewed 2026-08-10

The shallow shelf water between the shore and the open sea — mixed sand, rough ground and reef where most boat fishing in the world actually happens.

Safety: boat safety — can cause serious injury or death. 5 more points apply here.

What each one does, and what reduces it ↓

Water: Saltwater

Inshore ground is where the great majority of sea angling from boats takes place, and it is the least glamorous and most useful environment on FishingHQ. It is the band of relatively shallow water over the continental shelf, within reach of a small boat, made up of sand, mud, gravel, rock, wreck and reef in whatever mixture the local geology produced.

What defines it is variety at small scale. A drift of a few hundred metres may cross clean sand, a gravel patch, a rocky ridge and back onto sand, and each holds different fish. That is why inshore fishing rewards knowing ground more than any other kind: the difference between a good drift and a poor one is frequently fifty metres, and nothing on the surface indicates it.

It is also the environment where tide does the most work. Current running over uneven ground creates upwellings, eddies and slack pockets behind structure, and fish position themselves relative to those rather than relative to the ground itself. The same mark fishes completely differently on the other side of slack water because the fish have moved to the other side of the obstruction.

And it is genuinely accessible — small boat, short passage, sheltered water on a reasonable day — which is why it supports more angling than offshore and open-ocean fishing combined.

What characterises it

Shelf water from just beyond the surf zone out to the limit of comfortable small-boat range, typically a few metres to a few tens of metres deep. Substrate is mixed — sand, mud, shingle, gravel, boulder, bedrock reef and wreck — often changing over very short distances. Tidal current is significant and interacts with that uneven bottom to produce upwellings, eddies and slack water behind obstructions.

What lives there

The productive band of most temperate and subtropical seas. Sand and mud support burrowing invertebrates and the flatfish and bottom-feeders that eat them; rough ground and reef support crustaceans, wrasse and structure-associated predators; and the boundaries between them are richer than either, which is why edges matter so much. Wrecks function as artificial reef and hold disproportionate biomass for their footprint.

Through the year

Species composition turns over through the year as warm-water species move inshore and cold-water species retreat or arrive, with the calendar reversed between hemispheres. Spawning aggregations concentrate certain species predictably. Winter storms rework soft substrate and move sandbanks, so ground surveyed in one season may be laid out differently in another — hard ground and wreck do not move, which is part of why they are relied on.

Some of what lives here

Fish recorded here that FishingHQ holds a reviewed photograph of. It is not a complete list of what Inshore ground holds, and it is not a prediction that you will catch any of them — it is a way in to the ones we can show you.

LingA long, eel-shaped gadoid of deep northern wrecks and rough ground, reaching over two metres and forty kilograms, and the classic wreck-fishing prize.
Vsevolod — CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Northern red snapperThe Gulf of Mexico's emblematic reef fish — long-lived, structure-bound, subject to the most contested recreational quota in American fishing, and a barotrauma case study.
SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory, NOAA/NMFS — public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
LingcodA large ambush predator of Pacific rocky reefs with an enormous toothed mouth, no relation to true cod, and a serious barotrauma problem on release.
Mike Carr — CC BY, via iNaturalist
Yelloweye rockfishA brilliant orange-red deepwater rockfish that lives well over a century, matures very late, and is a rebuilding species under strict protection.
Alexandria 'Alex' Wenninger — CC BY, via iNaturalist
California halibutA large ambush flatfish of Pacific sand and surf, unusual in that individuals may be either left-eyed or right-eyed, with a mouth full of sharp teeth.
Mike Carr — CC BY, via iNaturalist
Atlantic goliath grouperAn enormous, slow-growing reef grouper that was fished to collapse, is now protected across much of its range, and must be released without being lifted.
Albert kok — CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Summer flounderA large left-eyed ambush flatfish of the American Atlantic coast with a toothy mouth, fished by drifting rather than by static bottom fishing.
Robert Aguilar, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center — CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Common pandoraA pink-silver Mediterranean sparid of sand and mixed ground, changing sex from female to male with age, and a staple of light bottom fishing.
jujurenoult — CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Safety

Boat safety — Can cause serious injury or death

Small-boat fishing inshore is where most angling boat incidents happen — not offshore. Conditions deteriorate faster than a small boat can return, wind against tide raises a short steep sea over shallow ground very quickly, and engine failure in a tidal race is a serious situation close to land.

What reduces it: Check the forecast for the whole window rather than the departure, and check the tide as well as the wind — wind against tide is the condition that catches people out. Wear a lifejacket. File a plan ashore. Carry a means of calling for help that works when the phone does not, and know your own boat's limits before the day tests them.

Worse when:

Wind against tide, especially over shallow banks and in races
On a small boat with a single engine
When the return passage is into a building sea

Line under tension — Can cause injury needing treatment

Fishing over rough ground and wreck means snagging, and pulling for a break puts substantial tension into line that then releases suddenly, frequently towards the person pulling. Leads and terminal tackle returning at speed cause eye and facial injuries.

What reduces it: Never pull for a break by hand or with the rod pointed at your face. Point the rod down the line, wear eye protection, keep everybody clear, and use a rig designed to sacrifice the lead rather than the whole trace.

Precautions that always apply here

Wear a buoyancy aid or lifejacket. Cold water incapacitates strong swimmers within a minute, long before swimming ability matters.
Tell somebody where you are going and when you expect to be back.
Carry a charged phone in a waterproof case, or another means of calling for help.
Check the tide before you go and know your exit route. Being cut off is the commonest way a shore session becomes a rescue.

Where to go next

Fish found here

59 more

Reading this water

Reading the tideCurrent running over uneven bottom creates upwellings, eddies and slack pockets, and fish position themselves relative to those rather than to the ground — which is why the same mark fishes differently either side of slack water.

Environment and conservation

Discarded line and lost tackleRough ground and wreck are where tackle is lost, so they are where it accumulates — and it goes on fishing after the session ends.

Sources and evidence

RNLI water safety guidance: cold water shock and Float to Live — Royal National Lifeboat Institution (Water-safety or diver-training authority)Relied on for: Lifejacket use, filing a plan ashore, carrying a means of calling for help, and the risk that conditions deteriorate faster than a small boat can respond.States this directlyPassage read and verified
NOAA Ocean Service tides and water levels educational tutorial — National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: That tidal currents vary through the cycle and interact with coastal and seabed geometry, which is the mechanism behind the sea state and fish positioning described here.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysPassage read and verified

Why the 69 connections on this page are here, and the sources

Fish found here

Backed by research — 67 connections

Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.

Common whelk
A distribution association between an animal and a kind of water, rather than a claim about any named mark.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association and depth range recorded for the species, including its occurrence in the water body concerned.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment and range account for the species, including the systems and coasts it occupies.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
A claim that a place contains the ground and conditions the animal is associated with. It is a distributional statement about the world and rests on reference works, and it deliberately asserts nothing about access or permission.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution and habitat association of the inshore fauna of the British Isles and the north-east Atlantic.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Recorded distribution and habitat association for the species where held.Background and mechanism onlyPassage read and verified
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Range and recorded threats for the species where assessed.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Atlantic goliath grouper
A habitat association for Epinephelus itajara taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Epinephelus itajara.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Atlantic lizardfish
Recorded as demersal from 1 to 400 m but usually shallower than about 20 m. It is a sand-lying ambush predator, so the clean inshore bottom beside hard ground is the habitat rather than the reef itself.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Environment, depth range, habitat association and distribution for Synodus saurus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Axillary seabream
Recorded as benthopelagic and oceanodromous over a depth range of 0 to 500 m and usually 40 to 100 m, over soft and mixed bottom.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Environment, depth range, habitat association and distribution for Pagellus acarne.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Bastard grunt
Recorded as demersal in marine and brackish water over a depth range of 10 to 100 m from Angola to Spain and through the Mediterranean, over soft and mixed bottom rather than reef.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Environment, depth range, habitat association and distribution for Pomadasys incisus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Black rockfish
A habitat association for Sebastes melanops taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Sebastes melanops.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Black sea bass
A habitat association for Centropristis striata taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Centropristis striata.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Black seabream
A distributional claim about where a species is found, which is a claim about the world and rests on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the fishes of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Blonde ray
A distributional claim about where a species is found, which rests on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the sharks, skates and rays of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Blue cod
A habitat association for Parapercis colias taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Parapercis colias.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Blue shark
A distributional claim about where a species is found, resting on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the fishes and inshore fauna of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, family placement, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Blue threadfin
A habitat association for Eleutheronema tetradactylum taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Eleutheronema tetradactylum.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Bluefin gurnard
Demersal in marine and brackish water over a depth range of 1 to 200 m and usually 75 to 150 m, on sand, mud and mixed ground from Mozambique through Australia and New Zealand.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Environment, depth range, habitat association and distribution for Chelidonichthys kumu.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Brill
A habitat association for Scophthalmus rhombus taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Scophthalmus rhombus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Bull huss
A distributional claim about where a species is found, which rests on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the sharks, skates and rays of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
California halibut
A habitat association for Paralichthys californicus taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Paralichthys californicus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Cobia
A habitat association for Rachycentron canadum taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Rachycentron canadum.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Common cuttlefish
Habitat association recorded for the species rather than inferred from the fishery.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Habitat association, depth range, diet and distribution for the species, with SeaLifeBase as its sister database for non-finfish taxa.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Common pandora
A habitat association for Pagellus erythrinus taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Pagellus erythrinus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Cuckoo wrasse
A distributional claim about where a species is found, resting on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the fishes and inshore fauna of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, family placement, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Curled octopus
A habitat association resting on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the fishes and inshore fauna of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, family placement, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the region concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Dab
A distributional claim about where a species is found, which is a claim about the world and rests on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the fishes of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Diamond lizardfish
Recorded as reef-associated over a depth range of 0 to 144 m and usually 2 to 35 m — a slightly more structure-associated fish than Synodus saurus over the same class of bottom.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Environment, depth range, habitat association and distribution for Synodus synodus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
European lobster
Habitat association recorded for the species rather than inferred from the fishery.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Habitat association, depth range, diet and distribution for the species, with SeaLifeBase as its sister database for non-finfish taxa.States this directlyPassage read and verified
European squid
Habitat association recorded for the species rather than inferred from the fishery.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Habitat association, depth range, diet and distribution for the species, with SeaLifeBase as its sister database for non-finfish taxa.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Flapper skate
A distributional claim about where a species is found, which rests on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the sharks, skates and rays of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Forkbeard
Recorded as benthopelagic and non-migratory from 13 to 614 m and usually 100 to 200 m from Biscay to Cape Verde, in the Mediterranean and the Azores. The 13 m shallow limit is the whole of why a shore angler ever meets it.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Environment, depth range, habitat association and distribution for Phycis phycis.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Greater weever
A distributional claim about where a species is found, which is a claim about the world and rests on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the fishes of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Grey gurnard
A distributional claim about where a species is found, which is a claim about the world and rests on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the fishes of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Guinean puffer
Recorded as demersal from 1 to 100 m along the eastern Atlantic from Portugal to Angola, working the bottom for the hard-shelled invertebrates its beak is built for.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Environment, depth range, habitat association and distribution for Sphoeroides marmoratus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Hapuku
A habitat association for Polyprion oxygeneios taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Polyprion oxygeneios.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Japanese amberjack
A habitat association for Seriola quinqueradiata taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Seriola quinqueradiata.States this directlyPassage read and verified
John Dory
A distributional claim about where a species is found, which is a claim about the world and rests on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the fishes of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
King scallop
A distributional claim about where a species is found, resting on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the fishes and inshore fauna of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, family placement, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Ling
A habitat claim held to a scientific standard.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That Molva molva is a marine demersal species of the North East Atlantic associated with hard ground, generally between about 100 and 400 m.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Lingcod
A habitat association for Ophiodon elongatus taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Ophiodon elongatus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Mediterranean moray
A distributional claim resting on the regional identification and fisheries literature rather than on angling report.
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: UK marine science: distribution, habitat association, shellfish and crustacean monitoring, and the biological basis of management advice.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Habitat, depth range and distribution as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the region concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Northern red snapper
A habitat claim held to a scientific standard.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That Lutjanus campechanus is a reef-associated species of the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, generally between about 10 and 190 m.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Pink dentex
Recorded as benthopelagic over a depth range of 20 to 220 m. Its shallow edge reaches a deep shore mark and the fishery for it is a boat fishery, which is why nothing attaches it to a harbour wall.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Environment, depth range, habitat association and distribution for Dentex gibbosus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Pouting
A habitat association for Trisopterus luscus taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Trisopterus luscus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Red emperor
A habitat association for Lutjanus sebae taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Lutjanus sebae.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Red gurnard
A distributional claim about where a species is found, resting on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the fishes and inshore fauna of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, family placement, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Red porgy
Its usual 10 to 80 m band is inshore ground rather than deep water, which is why the same species is taken from the rocks and from a small boat over the same coast.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Environment, depth range, habitat association and distribution for Pagrus pagrus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Red scorpionfish
A distributional claim resting on the regional identification and fisheries literature rather than on angling report.
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: UK marine science: distribution, habitat association, shellfish and crustacean monitoring, and the biological basis of management advice.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Habitat, depth range and distribution as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the region concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Sand flathead
A habitat association for Platycephalus bassensis taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Platycephalus bassensis.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Silver trevally
A habitat association for Pseudocaranx georgianus taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Pseudocaranx georgianus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Small-eyed ray
A distributional claim about where a species is found, which rests on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the sharks, skates and rays of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Small-spotted catshark
A distributional claim about where a species is found, which rests on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the sharks, skates and rays of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Spiny spider crab
A distributional claim about where a species is found, resting on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the fishes and inshore fauna of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, family placement, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Spotted ray
A distributional claim about where a species is found, which rests on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the sharks, skates and rays of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Spurdog
A distributional claim about where a species is found, which rests on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the sharks, skates and rays of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Starry smooth-hound
A habitat association for Mustelus asterias taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Mustelus asterias.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Striped red mullet
A habitat association for Mullus surmuletus taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Mullus surmuletus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Striped trumpeter
Recorded as reef-associated over a depth range of 5 to 400 m across the temperate southern hemisphere, with pelagic juveniles and reef-holding adults.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Environment, depth range, habitat association and distribution for Latris lineata.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Summer flounder
A habitat association for Paralichthys dentatus taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Paralichthys dentatus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Tarakihi
Recorded as demersal over a depth range of 22 to 450 m and usually 100 to 250 m across southern Australia, New Zealand and the southern Indian and Atlantic oceans.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Environment, depth range, habitat association and distribution for Nemadactylus macropterus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Tautog
A habitat association for Tautoga onitis taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Tautoga onitis.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Thornback ray
A habitat association for Raja clavata taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Raja clavata.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Tope
A distributional claim about where a species is found, which rests on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the sharks, skates and rays of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Tub gurnard
A distributional claim about where a species is found, which is a claim about the world and rests on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the fishes of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Turbot
A habitat association for Scophthalmus maximus taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Scophthalmus maximus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Veined squid
A distributional claim about where a species is found, resting on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the fishes and inshore fauna of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, family placement, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
White trevally
Recorded as reef-associated in marine and brackish water from 10 to 238 m and usually 10 to 25 m, with the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands named explicitly in its eastern Atlantic distribution.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Environment, depth range, habitat association and distribution for Pseudocaranx dentex.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Whiting
A habitat association for Merlangius merlangus taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Merlangius merlangus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Wide-eyed flounder
Recorded as demersal from 15 to 400 m across the Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic islands, on the soft bottom a left-eyed flounder lies in.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Environment, depth range, habitat association and distribution for Bothus podas.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Wreckfish
Recorded as demersal from about 40 to 600 m, usually 100 to 200 m, holding to wrecks, banks and shelf edges. In the Atlantic islands that band lies unusually close to the coast because the islands are volcanic cones.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Environment, depth range, habitat association and distribution for Polyprion americanus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Yelloweye rockfish
A habitat association for Sebastes ruberrimus taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Sebastes ruberrimus.States this directlyPassage read and verified

Reading this water

Backed by research — 1 connection

Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.

Reading the tide
A physical claim about what drives fish position, held to a scientific standard on the tidal mechanism.
- NOAA Ocean Service tides and water levels educational tutorial — National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: That tidal currents vary in strength and direction through the cycle and interact with coastal and seabed geometry.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of how tidal flow over structure determines where fish hold on inshore ground.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Environment and conservation

Official guidance — 1 connection

Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.

Discarded line and lost tackle
An environmental claim about persistent gear, held above practitioner level because it concerns continuing mortality rather than tidiness.
- FAO fishing gear types and fishing technology information — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That lost and abandoned gear persists in the marine environment and continues to fish.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That gear loss is a component of a fishery's environmental impact.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

How FishingHQ labels evidence is explained in the evidence policy.

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