Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment.
Sardine and pilchard are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term sardine was first used in English during the early 15th century; a somewhat dubious folk etymology says it comes from the Italian island of Sardinia, around which sardines were once supposedly abundant.
The common sole, Dover sole, or black sole is a species of flatfish in the family Soleidae. It is one of the largest fish in the Solea genus. It lives on the sandy or muddy seabed of the northern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea where it often semi-immerses itself in the substrate. The upper side is greyish-brown while the underside is white. It grows to a maximum length of about 70 cm (28 in). The species is prized as a food fish, being caught mostly by trawling on the seabed.
An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water.
Cynoglossus browni, commonly known as the Nigerian tonguesole is a species of tonguefish. It is commonly found in Eastern Atlantic Ocean off the coast of west Africa, from Senegal to Angola. It is found on soft substrates such as mud or sand between depths of 15m and 40 m. Its main food is small benthic invertebrates.
Cynoglossus cadenati, commonly known as the Ghanaian tonguesole is a species of tonguefish. It is commonly found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the coast of west Africa from Mauritania to Angola, including the Cape Verde Islands. It is found on sand and mud bottoms of coastal waters.
Cynoglossus canariensis, commonly known as the Canary tonguesole is a species of tonguefish. It is commonly found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off western Africa, from Mauritania and Western Sahara south to Angola, including the Canary Islands and Cape Verde Islands. It is a demersal species found at depths of 10-300m, it has been found in brackish water, but is normally a coastal species which occurs over substrates of sand or mud. It feeds on small fish and crustaceans. This species is targeted in trawl fisheries throughout its range and in many areas, it appears to have undergone significant declines. For example, in Gabon the mixed Cynoglossus stock is considered overexploited, while in other parts of western Africa such as Mauritania the stocks of Cynoglossus had declined by over 60% in the five or six years up to 2015. The IUCN list C. canariensis as Near Threatened due to is dependence on conservation.
The European pilchard is a species of ray-finned fish in the monotypic genus Sardina. The young of the species are among the many fish that are sometimes called sardines. This common species is found in the northeast Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea at depths of 10–100 m (33–328 ft). It reaches up to 27.5 cm (10.8 in) in length and mostly feeds on planktonic crustaceans. This schooling species is a batch spawner where each female lays 50,000–60,000 eggs.
The Mediterranean scaldfish, also known as the scaldfish, is a species of benthic left eyed flatfish belonging to the family Bothidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic of Europe and Africa as well as the Mediterranean, and is of minor interest to fisheries.
The leerfish or garrick is a species of marine fish in the family Carangidae, and is native to the Mediterranean and the coastal waters of western Africa to the coastal waters of eastern South Africa. Also recorded in the Black Sea. These fish can reach 1.5 m in length and more than 30 kg in weight. They inhabit the coastal wave zone where they form small shoals to hunt other smaller fish, favouring mullets.
The Cunene horse mackerel is a species named after mackerel in the family Carangidae. Their maximum reported length is 35 cm, and the maximum reported weight is 2.0 kg. This species occurs inn the eastern Atlantic from Morocco south to Angola.
The scaldfishes comprise a genus, Arnoglossus, of lefteye flounders. They are found in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans, including the Mediterranean and Black Sea. They are entirely absent from most of the Americas; the only exceptions are A. coeruleosticta and A. multirastris found off Chile. The genus include both species found in shallow and deeper water. The largest species reaches 28 cm (11 in).
Citharus linguatula, the spotted flounder or Atlantic spotted flounder, is a species of fish in the Citharidae, a family of flounders. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, where it is found to a depth of 300 m (980 ft). This species grows to a total length of 30 cm (12 in). It is of minor importance to local commercial fisheries. This species is the only known member of its monotypic genus.
Vanstraelenia chirophthalma, the African solenette, is a species of sole native to the Atlantic coast of Africa where it is found from Guinea-Bissau south to Angola. Occurring at depths of from 8 to 100 metres, this species is of importance to local commercial fisheries. This species grows to a length of 28 centimetres (11 in) TL. This species is the only known member of its genus.
The sand sole is a fish species in the family Soleidae. It is a marine, subtropical, demersal fish up to 40 centimetres (16 in) long.
Chelon bispinosus is a fish of the family Mugilidae. It is one of seven species in the genus Chelon. It is endemic to waters near Cape Verde in the east central Atlantic Ocean. This species is found in the neritic zone.
Bothus podas, also known as the wide-eyed flounder, is a flounder in the genus Bothus, native to the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Coast of Africa.
Microchirus azevia, commonly known as the bastard sole, is a species of flatfish in the family Soleidae. It is found on the continental slope of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea at depths down to about 250 m (800 ft).
The sicklefin mullet is a species of ray-finned fish, a grey mullet from the family Mugilidae which is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean of the coasts of western Africa. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Neochelon.
