Featherbacks

These fish fall under the informal category of Knifefishes, but most are called Featherbacks for their tiny feather-like dorsal fin. They all live in fresh water or brackish environments in Asia and Africa.

More on Varieties of Fish (very large page)

Clown Featherback

Native to the Mekong Basin, this important food fish is thin, with flesh so tender it's almost mushy, and so shot full of bones, spines and fin rays it's difficult to eat whole or as fillets. It is, however, the preferred fish for fish cakes, fish balls, and some kinds of pickled fish and fish sauce in Thailand and Vietnam. This fish grows up to 39 inches and 11 pounds but the photo specimen was 17-1/2 inches long and weighed 1 pound 6-1/8 ounces.   Details and Cooking.

Indian Featherback

This Featherback is native to the Indus, Ganges-Brahmaputra, and Mahanadi river basins in India, Nepal, and Pakistan. It can grow to 48 inches (122 cm) but is more comonly 30 inches (75 cm). It is fished commercially in the region and also farmed. Cooked in a curry, this fish is considered a delicacy in Assam, West Bengal, and Bangladesh. IUCN Red Listed NT (Near Threatened).   Details and Cooking.   Photo by Hamid Badar Osmany distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v3.0 Unported.

Belida Featherback

This Featherback is native to Indonesian Sumatra and Borneo. It can grow to 39 inches (100 cm) and 33 pounds (15 kg). It is fished commercially in the region, IUCN Red Listed LC (Least Concern). For details and cooking, see Indian Featherback.   Photo by Moushomi B.C. distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v3.0 Unported.

Indonesian Featherback

This Featherback is native to Indonesian Sumatra and Borneo, and can grow to 22 inches (56 cm). It is subjet to minor commercial fisheries in the region, IUCN Red Listed LC (Least Concern). For details and cooking, see Indian Featherback.   Photo by Nicolas Hubbert, distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported.

Indochina Featherback

This Featherback inhabits fast flowing waters of the Mekong River, and the mouths of larger tributaries, prefering rocky bottoms. It can grow to 47 inches long. It is fished commercially and it is now also being farmed. IUCN Red Listed NT (Near Threatened). For details and cooking, see Clown Featherback.   Photo by BEDO (Thailand) distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v4.0 International.

Bronze Featherback

This Featherback is native to practically all river basins from the Indus through Southeast Asia, Sumatra, and Java, and occasionally enters brakish waters. It is absent from Borneo and the Red River of North Vietnam. This fish is very dark in color when young, and becomes lighter as it matures. It can grow to 24 inches (60 cm) but is more comonly 10 inches (25 cm) and is an important food fish throughout its range. It is fished commercially and also farmed. IUCN Red Listed LC (Least Concern).   Details and Cooking.   Photo by Ajiman distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v3.0 Unported.

Reticulated Knifefish

This fish is native to the coastal rivers of West Africa, from Senegal through Nigeria, especially in the Niger Basin, but is absent from the Volta basin. It can grow to nearly 31 inches. It is able to breath air in oxygen poor waters, and is able to sense electrical fields, but not create them. This fish is caught in subsistance fishing, not commercial, and is IUCN rated NT (Near Threatened).   Photo by Goh Yong Teng distributed under licence Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v3.0 Unported.