America is home to some of the largest fish in the world, from deep-sea giants to freshwater behemoths. These giants come in all shapes and sizes, from the powerful marlins and massive tunas that dominate offshore waters to prehistoric freshwater fish like the sturgeon and alligator gar. These are some of America’s largest fish by weight and where you can find them.
1. Pacific Blue Marlin
The Pacific Blue Marlin can weigh over 1,805 pounds and is usually found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific Ocean. These gorgeous fish are famous for their long, spear-like upper jaws and deep blue coloration with silvery undersides. They use their sharp bills to slash and feed on squid, mackerel, tuna, and other schooling fish.
2. Bluefin Tuna
Bluefin Tunas can weigh up to 1,500 pounds and are found in the western Atlantic from Newfoundland to the Gulf of Mexico. They are known for their muscular, torpedo-shaped bodies that allow them to swim at incredible speeds. They feed on herring, mackerel, squid, and other smaller fish.
3. Atlantic Blue Marlin
The Atlantic Blue Marlin is another massive fish that can weigh up to 1,400 pounds. They are found in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and are known for their dark blue back, silvery-white belly, and vertical stripe patterns. They are great hunters and feed on smaller fish like tuna, dolphinfish, and squid.
4. Black Marlin
Black Marlins are huge, with the largest ever caught weighing up to 1,560 pounds. They are usually found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans and are often seen off Hawaii. They can be distinguished from other marlins by their shorter, rigid pectoral fins. They mainly consume squid, tuna, and mackerel.
5. Giant Oceanic Manta Ray
The Giant Oceanic Manta Ray is the largest species of ray and can weigh up to 5,300 pounds. They live in the tropical and subtropical waters around the U.S., including Hawaii and the Gulf of Mexico. They are famous for their impressive wingspan, which can exceed 20 feet. They’re usually dark on top and have white undersides. They’re filter feeders and consume plankton, krill, and small fish.
6. Ocean Sunfish
The Ocean Sunfish is a strange but massive fish, weighing up to 5,000 pounds. It can be found in temperate and tropical oceans worldwide, including both U.S. coasts. It has an unusual, flattened body with elongated dorsal and anal fins and feeds on jellyfish, small fish, squid, and zooplankton.
7. White Sturgeon
The White Sturgeon is North America’s largest freshwater fish and can weigh up to 1,100 lbs. It usually lives in the rivers and bays of the West Coast, including the Snake and Columbia Rivers. These fish have long, torpedo-shaped bodies that are covered in bony plates instead of scales. They eat small fish, crustaceans, and mollusks.
8. Alligator Gar
Alligator Gar can weigh up to 350 pounds and are found in the Mississippi River system and parts of the Gulf Coast. It gets its name for its broad, alligator-like snout that’s filled with sharp teeth. These large fish typically feed on fish, crustaceans, and even small birds or mammals when given the opportunity.
9. Lake Sturgeon
The Lake Sturgeon can weigh up to 310 pounds and is found in the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and Mississippi River drainages. These slow-growing fish can live up to 100 years and are bottom feeds that consume snails, insect larvae, and small fish in riverbeds.
10. American Paddlefish
The American Paddlefish can weigh up to 160 pounds and is known for its long, paddle-like snout. These fish live in the Mississippi River system, including tributaries in the Missouri, Ohio, and Arkansas rivers. They are also filter feeders that mainly consume plankton and tiny aquatic organisms.
11. Blue Catfish
Blue Catfish can weigh up to 143 pounds and are found in major rivers of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio basins. They have bluish-gray bodies with white bellies and long whisker-like barbels around their mouths. They consume fish, crustaceans, and even carrion.
12. Goliath Grouper
The Goliath Grouper can weigh up to 800 pounds and is found along the Atlantic coast of Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. They are ambush predators that feed on crustaceans, fish, and even small sharks.
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