Top Batfishes Fishing Countries

Batfishes, belonging to the family Ogcocephalidae, are a group of unusual, bottom-dwelling marine fish known for their flattened bodies and unique "walking" locomotion on pectoral fins. While not a major commercial target, batfishes are occasionally caught as bycatch in trawl fisheries, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. The leading countries where batfishes are most frequently harvested include Indonesia, India, and the Philippines, largely due to their extensive demersal trawl fisheries in the Indo-Pacific. In these nations, batfishes are sometimes sold in local markets or used as fish meal, but they hold little economic value compared to more prominent species. The batfish's distinctive appearance and rarity in catches also make them of interest to researchers and aquarium enthusiasts rather than the mainstream fishing industry.

Data from FAO. 2025. Global Capture Production. In: Fisheries and Aquaculture.