Types of Fish in Tenerife and the Canary Islands
Are you curious to know what types of fish you can see or catch in Tenerife or in any of the other Canary Islands? Fortunately, there Canary Islands have a very diverse marine life and it is possible to see a lot of species of fish if you know where to look for them.
Of course, not all species are easy to find or to catch, but luckily for you, there are a lot of them and the Canary Islands archipelago is a great place to visit if you want to explore the marine life of the Atlantic Ocean.
What types of fish species can you catch in Tenerife?
If you want to go fishing in Tenerife, there are a lot of boat tours that you can take and they provide you with all the tools and information needed for a fun day of fishing, with no worries on your part. Just go out on the ocean and see what you can catch!
Types of fish in the Canary Islands (Spanish / English name)
- Jurel Denton - White trevally
- Japuta - Atlantic Pomfret
- Corvina negra - Black drum, also known as the drum or drummer
- Congrio - European conger
- Cherne - Atlantic wreckfish, also known as stone bass
- Morena - Moray eel
- Cazon - School shark
- Fula negra - Canary Damsel - a type of fish that is specific to this region of the Atlantic, found near Madeira, the Azores, Canary Islands, Cape Verde and Senegal
- Merluza - Hake
- Romero de tierra - Centrolabus trutta
- Medregal - Greater amberjack
- Mero - Grouper
- Rape - Angler
- Cinta - Red bandfish
- Besugo - Red seabream
- Marrajo - Shortfin mako shark or bonito shark
- Angelote - Angelshark or monkfish
- Cabrilla - Comber
- Salmonete - Striped red mullet
- Vieja - Vieja
- Lubina - European Bass
- Dorada - Gilt-head bream
- Verrugato de Canarias - Canary drum
- Rodaballo - Turbot
- Sargo Imperial - Zebra sea bream
- Atun - Tuna
- Raya - Stingray
- Boga - Bogue, a species of seabream
- Salema / Salpa - Salema porgy
- Pez Ballesta - Triggerfish
- Pez Espada - Swordfish
- Burro Chiclero - Grunt
- Boqueron - Anchovy
- Breca - Spanish bream
- Tamboril Espinoso - Spotfin Burrfish
- Bonito - ray-finned predatory fish in the family Scombridae – a family it shares with the mackerel, tuna, and Spanish mackerel tribes
- Romero Capitan - Ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta)
- Galana - Saddled seabream
- Sardina - Sardine
- Escorpion / Arana - Greater weever
- Herrera - Sand steenbras
- Gallo - Four-spot megrim
- Rascacio - Black scorpionfish
- Burro Listado - Ribboned sweetlips
- Jaqueton - Great white shark
- Sama de Pluma / Pargo - Pink dentex
- Roncador - Yellowfin croaker
- Palometa Roja - Red bream or imperado
- Tapaculo - Spotted flounder or Atlantic spotted flounder
- Abadejo - Pollack
- Sama Roquera - Pagrus auriga
- Tamboril - Guinean puffer
- Lisa - Flathead grey mullet
- Jurel / Chicharro - Atlantic horse mackerel
- Chopa - Bluegill
- Chopa Blanca - Sea chub Bermuda
Types of fish in Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria
These types of fish listed above can be found in all the Canary Islands, not just in Tenerife.
You can see or catch these fish in Gran Canaria, as well as Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Palma, EL Hierro, or La Graciosa.
Of course, each species has its own set of characteristics, so they are spread differently.
If you plan to go fishing, make sure that you respect the local law, as some species are forbidden to catch. If you're on holiday here, we would advise you to book a fishing trip to avoid any legal problems and to be able to simply enjoy the experience of fishing in the Atlantic.
What other types of fish and marine life can be found in the Canary Islands?
Fishing in Tenerife
Tenerife has the highest number of Fisherman's Guilds in Spain compared to any other region in the country.
Tenerife's artisanal inshore fishing is carried out close to shore by professional fishermen in small and medium-sized boats, generally made of wood, used for fishing with smaller gear.
The fishing effort focuses on demersal coastal resources (vieja, common dentex, comber, sargo, black seabream, etc.), coastal pelagic species and oceanic pelagic species (sardines, mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel, anchovies, bogue, tunas and similar fish) and shellfish resources (shrimp, sea snails and crabs), which are fished using the gear and tackle generally used for artisanal fishing.
