FishBase

FishBase
Content
DescriptionA large and extensively accessed biological database about fish
Data types
captured
Comprehensive species data, including taxonomy, biometrics, behaviour, distribution, habitats and photos
OrganismsAdult fish species (finfish)
Contact
Research centerGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, FishBase Consortium coordinator
AuthorsDaniel Pauly, Rainer Froese
Access
Websitefishbase.us
Tools
StandaloneHistoric versions available on CD
Miscellaneous
LicenseCC-BY-NC for data; various levels of licensing for media files (pictures, sounds, ...) to be checked case by case
VersioningEvery even month of the year
Data release
frequency
Continuously updated
VersionLatest version: 02/2024
Curation policyFishBase Consortium
Bookmarkable
entities
Yes

FishBase is a global species database of fish species (specifically finfish).[1] It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web.[2] Over time it has "evolved into a dynamic and versatile ecological tool" that is widely cited in scholarly publications.[3][4][5]

FishBase provides comprehensive species data, including information on taxonomy, geographical distribution, biometrics and morphology, behaviour and habitats, ecology and population dynamics as well as reproductive, metabolic and genetic data. There is access to tools such as trophic pyramids, identification keys, biogeographical modelling and fishery statistics and there are direct species level links to information in other databases such as LarvalBase, GenBank, the IUCN Red List and the Catalog of Fishes.[6]

As of February 2024, FishBase included descriptions of 35,600 species and subspecies, with 329,500 common names, 64,000 pictures, and references to 61,700 works in the scientific literature. The site has about 700,000 visits per month.[7]

  1. ^ Froese R and Pauly D (eds) (2000) FishBase 2000: concepts, design and data sources. ICLARM. Philippines.
  2. ^ Marine Fellow: Rainer Froese Archived 21 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Pew Environment Group.
  3. ^ Stergiou KI and Tsikliras AC (2006) Scientific impact of FishBase: A citation analysis Archived 8 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine In: Palomares MLD, Stergiou KI and Pauly D (eds.), Fishes in Databases and Ecosystems. UBC Fisheries Centre, Research reports 14(4): 2–6.
  4. ^ References Citing FishBase FishBase. Last modified 5 July 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  5. ^ Humphries, Austin; Dimarchopoulou, Donna; Stergiou, Konstantinos; Tsikliras, Athanassios; Palomares, Deng; Bailly, Nicolas; Nauen, Cornelia; Luna, Susan; Banasihan, Lyra; Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (2023). "Measuring the scientific impact of FishBase after three decades" (PDF). Cybium. 47 (3): 213–224. doi:10.26028/cybium/2023-002.
  6. ^ Gert B and Snoeks J (2004) "FishBase: encyclopaedia and research tool" Page 48, VLIZ Special Publication 17, Brugge, Belgium.
  7. ^ According to the FishBase web page, accessed November 2023.