List of fishes of Sweden
The table denotes species native to Sweden, as well as those introduced from a neighbouring country and those that have only occurred occasionally.
Only sporadically encountered in Swedish waters, e.g. the Magnisudis atlantica has to date been found eight times, the first in 1960 and the last in 1978.
Some species of sturgeons are known to have populated Swedish waters in the 19th century along the coast lines of the Baltic Sea and in some inland streams.
[4] The eel is a popular dish, especially in southern Sweden, and is economically of importance with catches of around 1,000 tonnes (1,200 in 1983).
[5] The order Batrachoidiformes, or toadfish, are a type of ray-finned fish normally found on the sand and mud bottoms of coastal waters worldwide.
[8] The Swedes have two names for herring, sill or strömming, depending on where they have been caught, west or east of the island of Bornholm.
It is served pickled both at Christmas and at Midsummer, and in northern Sweden the fermented herring, surströmming, is popular treat.
It is often flavoured and put in cans labeled as anchovy, which is incorrect from a zoological point of view, but fairly accurate in terms of usage.
This pickled "anchovy" is a main ingredient of the Swedish traditional dish Janssons frestelse.
[10] The order Cypriniformes consists of several families of carp-like fishes, the most important being the cyprinids—the carps and minnows.
For Sweden, the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) is, together with the herring, the most important food fish.
Cod in Swedish waters is caught in the west of Sweden in the Skagerrak and east in the Baltic Sea.
Cod in the Baltic does not migrate to the Atlantic, and may be a subspecies: Gadus morhua callarias, but this view is generally abandoned today.
The three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is common on all Swedish coasts and in adjacent fresh water lakes and streams.
For this list, the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is of note, as it is the largest fish in Nordic waters, occasionally encountered on the Swedish west coast (Västergötland).
The order Myctophiformes, which includes the family Myctophidae, or lanternfishes, consists of deep-sea fish common on the Southern Hemisphere and only rarely caught in Swedish waters.
A few species of the family Argentinidae extend their habitat to the Skagerrak where it is caught by Swedish ships.
In Sweden it is common in all regions except the northernmost mountains and on the island of Gotland, and it is the provincial fish of Västmanland.
[19] The arguably most popular fish in Swedish fresh water is the European perch, and the annual catch is around 2,000 tonnes.
In zoology, lampreys are not considered to be true fish because of their vastly different morphology and physiology.
[23] The fish was eaten in Sweden during the weekends when meat was prohibited, which explains the Swedish name helgeflundra, literally "holy flounder".
The families of this order are generally small, bottom living, and unsuited as food fish.
[25] Of the family Triglidae, most species are uncommon in Swedish waters, but the small Chelidonichthys gurnardus (25–30 cm) has in recent decades attracted attentions as a food fish.
The largest is the blue skate, which is common in the Skagerrak and Kattegatt west of Sweden but otherwise only sporadic.
It is, together with the thumback ray (Raja clavata), the only cartilaginous fish of economic importance in Sweden.
The most notable species here is the Greenland shark, Somniosus microcephalus, the second largest fish in Swedish waters.
Siluriformes, or catfish, are a diverse order of fish distinguished by prominent barbels, which give the image of cat-like whiskers.
Generally not native in Nordic waters, but the John Dory (Zeus faber) became an occasional visitor around Swedish coasts by the late 19th century, and has in the latest decades been seen with annual regularity, although not in such quantities that systematical fishing of it is conducted.
