UK sea fish

Sea fish reference guide

A field guide to 88 sea fish that British anglers catch from boats, from bass and black bream to tope, rays and the occasional bluefin tuna. Each species has its own page with the British boat-caught record, where and when it turns up, how it is fished and the rules that protect it. The orange fish icon marks the 47 species recorded off the Sussex coast in our sources.

88 species
47 off Sussex
72 confirmed boat records

88 fish shown

= caught off the Sussex coast, according to our sources. Record: Confirmed Record: None listed What the record labels mean

47 speciesFish caught off the Sussex coastEvery Sussex-recorded species, grouped, with the months and the source for each one. 72 confirmedBritish boat-caught records tableSort and filter the record weight, place, year and angler for all 88 species. 88 picturesWho took the picturesPhotographers, illustrators and the open licences that let us show their work.

Free downloads

Print a fish guide, or plan your day at sea

Every species page has its own printable fish guide (PDF). Coming fishing with us? These two cover getting to Brighton Marina and what to bring.

How to find us: directions to Brighton Marina (PDF)

Car, train, bus and on foot, parking, the meeting point and a map. 2 pages, A4. 249 KB.

What to bring and how the day works (PDF)

Kit checklist, the day step by step, seasickness tips, clothes, food and drink, children and weather. 2 pages, A4. 100 KB.

Good to know

About the guide

How many sea fish are in this guide?

88 species in 8 groups: bass, bream and mullet; the cod family; flatfish; rays and skates; sharks and dogfish; shoal fish; reef, wreck and bottom fish; and rarer visitors. 47 of them are recorded off the Sussex coast in our sources.

What does a confirmed record mean here?

Confirmed means the fish is on the official British Record Fish Committee boat list. Claimed means a record reported elsewhere that has not been confirmed. None listed means there is no British boat-caught record for that species. 72 of the 88 species have a confirmed boat record.

Why are the British boat records frozen?

The official weight-based boat records were frozen in June 2024. New boat claims are now judged by length, so the weights in this guide are the frozen records.

Which fish are caught off the Sussex coast?

Our sources record 47 species off Sussex, including bass, black bream, cod, pollack, whiting, plaice, thornback and undulate rays, tope, smoothhound and mackerel. They are all listed, with months, on the Sussex page.