Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate (or craniate) animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups. Most fish are ectothermic ("cold-blooded"), allowing their body temperatures to vary as ambient temperatures change, though some of the large active swimmers like white shark and tuna can hold a higher core temperature. Fish are abundant in most bodies of water. They can be found in nearly all aquatic environments, from high mountain streams (e.g., char and gudgeon) to the abyssal and even hadal depths of the deepest oceans (e.g., gulpers and anglerfish). At 32,000 species, fish exhibit greater species diversity than any other class of vertebrates.

Fish, especially as food, are an important resource worldwide. Commercial and subsistence fishers hunt fish in wild fisheries (see fishing) or farm them in ponds or in cages in the ocean (see aquaculture). They are also caught by recreational fishers, kept as pets, raised by fishkeepers, and exhibited in public aquaria. Fish have had a role in culture through the ages, serving as deities, religious symbols, and as the subjects of art, books and movies.

Because the term "fish" is defined negatively, and excludes the tetrapods (i.e., the amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) which descend from within the same ancestry, it is paraphyletic, and is not considered a proper grouping in systematic biology. The traditional term pisces (also ichthyes) is considered a typological, but not a phylogenetic classification.

The earliest organisms that can be classified as fish were soft-bodied chordates that first appeared during the Cambrian period. Although they lacked a true spine, they possessed notochords which allowed them to be more agile than their invertebrate counterparts. Fish would continue to evolve through the Paleozoic era, diversifying into a wide variety of forms. Many fish of the Paleozoic developed external armor that protected them from predators. The first fish with jaws appeared in the Silurian period, after which many (such as sharks) became formidable marine predators rather than just the prey of arthropods.

Noun

fish (collectively (UK) fish or (US) and when referring to two or more kinds fishes or informally fishies)

1. (countable) A cold-blooded vertebrate animal that lives in water, moving with the help of fins and breathing with gills.

   Salmon is a fish.

   God created all the fishes of the world.

2. (collectively) Plural form of fish.

   We have many fish in our aquarium.

3. (possibly archaic) Any animal that lives exclusively in water.
   • 1774, Oliver Goldsmith, History of the Earth and Animated Nature, Volume IV:

     The whale, the limpet, the tortoise and the oyster… as men have been willing to give them all the name of fishes, it is wisest for us to conform.

4. (uncountable) The flesh of the fish used as food.

   The seafood pasta had lots of fish but not enough pasta.

5. (countable) A period of time spent fishing.

   The fish at the lake didn't prove successful.

6. (countable) An instance of seeking something.

   Merely two fishes for information told the whole story.

7. (uncountable) A card game in which the object is to obtain pairs of cards.
8. (uncountable, derogatory, slang) A woman.
9. (slang) An easy victim for swindling.
10. (nautical) A makeshift overlapping longitudinal brace used to temporarily repair or extend a spar or mast of a ship.
11. (nautical) Torpedo
    • 1977, Richard O'Kane, Clear the Bridge: The War Patrols of the U.S.S. Tang, Ballantine Books (2003), page 344:

      The second and third fish went to the middle of her long superstructure and under her forward deck.

12. (poker slang) A bad poker player.

Synonyms

• (card game): go fish
• (bad poker player): donkey, donk

Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are typically cold blooded, covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins.

Contents

• 1 Sourced
  • 1.1 Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations
• 2 Unsourced
• 3 See also
• 4 External links

Alaskan Cod Fish and Sablefish @ AlaskanCodFish.com
... terms related to Alaskan Cod Fish and Sablefish. ... 18:58:05 2010 - Cooking & Recipes - 4 Answers - Comments A. Cod is ... Fish with finesse: Prep seafood at home to net top-notch ...
www.alaskancodfish.com

---

Alaskan Cod Fish Blogs (Owned, Fresh, Pollock, Halibut ...
Alaskan Cod Fish Blogs. Includes ... Alaskan Cod Alaskan Cod Fish Alaskan Cod Fish or Sablefish ... Home: Cooking: Fish and Seafood; Pacific Cod Fish; Sable fish
www.alaskancodfish.com/blogs.htm

---

Autoimmunity Information (Cells, Autoimmune Diseases ...
... Food allergy (Milk, Egg, Peanut, Tree nut, Seafood, Soy ... "Alaskan Cod Fish" [ ... Home: Autoimmunity: Encyclopedia
www.alaskancodfish.com/autoimmunity/encyclopedia.htm

---

Collusion Information (Firms, Baseball, Takes, Price ...
Collusion is an agreement between two or more ... "Alaskan Cod Fish" [ ... Home: Collusion: Encyclopedia
www.alaskancodfish.com/collusion/encyclopedia.htm

	New Location:
city:
state/region:
country:

Arts: Visual Arts: Thematic: Nature and Wildlife
See also: Arts: Genres: Environment and Nature (19) Arts: Photography: Photographers (1,863) Recreation: Outdoors: Wildlife (660) Animalissime - Oil paintings of wild ...

---

Business: Food and Related Products: Import and ...
See also: Business: International Business and Trade: Import and Export (476) Business: Investing: Commodities and Futures: Exchanges (8) This category in other ...

---

Business: Food and Related Products: Meat and ...
See also: Shopping: Food: Fish and Seafood: Shellfish (82) AM Seafoods - Supplier specializing in king scallops, queen scallops and whelks. Product and company ...