Fish

Fish are a monster type that spawn and swim in liquids. They can spawn in water, poison, lava and in many other types of liquids, but they may become poisoned or melted if spawned in the aforementioned poison or lava. Fish appear in various colors and shapes, like other monsters, but they are often much smaller. While large aggressive fish can be captured using a Capture Pod, most fish can only be moved using a Relocator. Specific species of fish must first be caught using a Fishing Rod before they can be relocated.

Like ground monsters fish have a variety of procedrually generated components, and can be different in color and appearance from planet to planet. Procedurally generated fish come can be either small or very large and can attack the player. Their behavior can be either peaceful or aggressive. A fish won't attack another fish. Fish have no ranged attacks and weak melee attacks, and larger fish may have stronger attacks. Be careful fighting larger schools without proper equipment - they are quite fast relative to some other types of monsters in Starbound.

Unlike monsters on land and in the air, fish can drop anything in their Treasure pool regardless of whether they are killed with normal or hunting weapons. Most fish have very low health compared to the other monsters, and they deal low damage.

AI

Fish will just swim from left to right in any type of liquid. If the player drains the liquid completely or to a height that is below the fish with the Matter Manipulator, the fish will stop moving, and stay in place. Fish AI is less complex then most regular monsters, however they share the same traits as normal monsters: they attack back when hit by players, and they move around; however regular monsters have much more capabilities than the aforementioned ones for the fish.

Capture

Large hostile fish can be captured using a Capture Pod. This includes fish who are neutral toward the player but will attack when provoked. They'll follow the player when released, but outside liquid can't do much but flop on the ground. They can survive outside liquid and can attack enemies, but their mobility is very limited. If released into an aquarium they must be held inside a Pet Tether.

Outside large generated fish, other fish cannot be captured using Capture Pods. Instead they're picked up using a relocator. After being released from the relocator fish will not follow the player, but behave normally as they would in the wild. Relocators can capture wild fish as well as fish caught using a Fishing Rod. Fish caught with a Fishing Rod that are released from a relocator will not drop anything when killed. Using a relocator players can easily make aquariums to house found and caught fish.

Fishing

There are a number of fish which can only be caught using a Fishing Rod. These fish won't be seen swimming in the wild without a fishing lure to attract them.

Catching each of these fish will complete their entries in the fishing collection screen.

These fish will only appear on ocean planets (ocean, toxic, magma, arctic). Day or night and depth can also be factors in where they appear. The more rare a fish is the less frequently it will appear.

Controls

Fishing controls are either left click or up to reel in, down to let out more line and descend, and left and right to steer the lure left and right respectively.

One of the key mechanics for fishing is lure control. Moving the lure away from undesirable fish and close to fish you're trying to catch is an important part of catching rare fish. Different lures offer varied control options and may make catching specific fish easier.

Once a fish grabs the lure it will start swimming with the line attached. Fish must be reeled in only while not swimming directly away. When a fish pulls the fishing line will blink quickly, indicating reeling should stop. If it pulls too much it will break the line and escape.

Mechanics

When attempting to catch fish, one must make sure the lure is at least 8 tiles below the surface of the liquid ocean - if the lure rises above this depth, no more fish will appear, and any fish that had been following the lure will get scared and swim away. Shallow fish will only appear when the lure is not yet 25 tiles below the surface of the ocean, and deep fish will only appear when the lure is at least 25 tiles below the surface of the ocean.

Every time the lure is cast, the first fish that appears will always be a common fish, and the second fish that appears is either common (90% chance) or uncommon (10% chance). From the third fish onward, the probabilities are as follows:

• 80% chance that the next fish is Common
• 16% chance that the next fish is Uncommon
• 3.9% chance that the next fish is Rare
• 0.1% chance that the next fish is Legendary (only in deep liquid)

Equipment

There are a few different pieces of equipment specific to fishing. The upgraded Durable Fishing Rod provides the ability to fish more dangerous biomes like toxic and magma, though neither rod can be used to fish in the lava oceans at the bottom of most planetary Core layers. Lures provide control options and illumination, and reels can give more line, increase line strength and adjust winding speed.

Rods start with a Basic Reel and Basic Lure attached. Upgraded lures and reels can be added to the rod by selecting the upgrade in inventory and right clicking it onto the rod. Similarly to how EPP Augments and Pet Collars function, only one lure upgrade and one reel upgrade can be active at a time - using another one will overwrite the previous upgrade with the new upgrade, destroying the old upgrade in the process.

The inital rod can be crafted using a foraging table. All lure and reel upgrades have an equal chance of being found as treasure when catching an uncommon, rare, or legendary fish.

Rods	Reels	Lures
Fishing Rod Durable Fishing Rod	Basic Reel High Capacity Reel High Speed Reel High Tension Reel	Basic Lure Illuminated Lure Motorized Lure Sinking Lure

Basic Reel

The Basic Reel grants the following benefits while its fishing rod is in use:

• The fishing line can extend 50 tiles down from the tip of the fishing rod.
• When a fish is not pulling the line, the lure is reeled up at a speed of 11 tiles per second.
• The fishing line can sustain 0.7 seconds of reeling while a fish is pulling the line before it breaks.

Basic Lure

The Basic Lure grants the following benefits while its fishing rod is in use:

• While in the water, the lure can move sideways at a speed of up to 6 tiles per second using a control force of 20. In practice, the lure has limited horizontal movement capabilities.
• The lure has a gravity multiplier of 1.5 and a buoyancy of 0.6, making it sink at an average speed when line is let out.

Rewards

Fish that are caught with a fishing rod will flop around on dry ground before dying and dropping a piece of Raw Fish. Additional rewards will appear on the fish's death depending on its rarity:

• Common fish have a 30% chance to drop Money Treasure.
• Uncommmon fish will drop either Money Treasure (97%) or a lure or reel upgrade (3%).
• Rare fish will drop one of the following: a lure or reel upgrade (30%), Treasure Chest Money (30%), a Manipulator Module (15%), a Tech Card (12.5%), or a Diamond (12.5%).
• Legendary fish will drop 2 instances of Treasure Chest Money as well as one of the following: a lure or reel upgrade (40%), a Pet Collar (15%), an EPP Augment (15%), an Instrument (15%), or a Costume piece (15%).

Fishing Collection

Each of the fish which can be caught using a Fishing Rod is listed below alongside their collection number and spawning details.

Rarity directly corresponds to how often the fish will appear. Behavior determines how they'll respond to the fishing lure - approachers keep swimming toward the lure and then dash when they're close enough while lurkers sit still and wait for the lure to get close enough to them before making a quick dash for it. The best way to avoid lurkers is to keep them in the shadow, however the approachers can be kept within the lighted area and will not bite unless close to the bait.

#	Image	Name	Size	Rarity	Biome	Description	Behavior	Depth	Time
01		Jerkfish	Small	Common	Ocean	This fish has a natural impolite demeanour.	Approach	Shallow	All
02		Sandy Dirtwhisker	Small	Common	Ocean	This fish has evolved two extra eyes just for looking disappointed.	Lurk	All	All
03		Toothy Mudchomp	Medium	Common	Ocean	It camouflages well in the muddy seabeds where it feeds.	Approach	Deep	All
04		Funnyfish	Medium	Uncommon	Ocean	Thinks it's funnier than it really is.	Approach	Shallow	Day
05		Squareboy	Medium	Uncommon	Ocean	It's surprisingly capable at swimming despite its shape.	Approach	Shallow	Night
06		Frilled Tadguppy	Small	Uncommon	Ocean	Its large tail can create rhythmic pulses that distract potential predators.	Approach	All	Day
07		Copper Bonejaw	Medium	Uncommon	Ocean	It is born with a soft jaw that calcifies and hardens through its lifespan.	Lurk	Deep	Night
08		Pink Sunbeam	Large	Rare	Ocean	A jawless fish often sought after for the way its scales sparkle in sunlight.	Approach	Shallow	Day
09		Crescent Hoopfish	Large	Rare	Ocean	The hoop through its body creates a current that propels it through water.	Approach	All	Night
10		Hermit Tonguile	Medium	Rare	Ocean	Its body is one long pink muscle, curled tight into a fossilised shell.	Lurk	Deep	Day
11		Banded Wormeel	Small	Rare	Ocean	The long antenna on the Wormeel's head can pick up radio waves from nearby planets.	Approach	All	Night
12		Chucklefish	Large	Legendary	Ocean	Haven't I seen this fish before somewhere?	Approach	Deep	All
13		Barbed Redeye	Medium	Common	Toxic	Its creepy red eyes unnerve anyone who unexpectedly meets it underwater.	Approach	Shallow	All
14		Spotted Gulptredder	Medium	Common	Toxic	It can somehow swallow 10 times its body mass.	Approach	Deep	All
15		Irradiated Globfish	Medium	Common	Toxic	Its body contains no flesh - it's entirely composed of an organic slime.	Lurk	All	All
16		Silkpig	Small	Uncommon	Toxic	Their strange, silky texture and squealing mating cries make them highly sought after as pets.	Approach	All	Day
17		Mortilus	Medium	Uncommon	Toxic	This cephalopod's tendrils are coated with a deadly toxin that can paralyse even a fully grown Poptop.	Approach	Deep	Night
18		Nosy Scoutier	Medium	Uncommon	Toxic	It can smell prey approaching from a mile away, but it's also too slow to react.	Lurk	All	Day
19		Night Clawnacle	Small	Uncommon	Toxic	The skin on its mushroom-like body changes colour when it's threatened.	Approach	Shallow	Night
20		Silver Curloach	Medium	Rare	Toxic	Its body curls up throughout its life, until it is too rolled up to even swim.	Approach	All	Day
21		Blighteel	Medium	Rare	Toxic	It has no eyes, so it prefers hunting at night when prey can't see it coming.	Approach	Deep	Night
22		Crimson Fantail	Large	Rare	Toxic	This echinoderm uses curious pink limbs to disguise itself as a decorated fish-like creature.	Approach	Shallow	Day
23		Brown Chordopod	Large	Rare	Toxic	Its stomach is constantly overflowing with venomous liquids. It can barely hold on to it.	Approach	All	Night
24		Dark Gembrane	Large	Legendary	Toxic	Most of its body is brain matter, protected only by a thick frontal shell.	Approach	Deep	All
25		Arctic Speartooth	Small	Common	Arctic	It maintains a hard icy shell around its body for protection.	Approach	All	All
26		Salt Rampskull	Small	Common	Arctic	It polishes the diagonal crest in its head against rocks and coral reefs.	Approach	Deep	All
27		Blue Sabertrout	Small	Common	Arctic	Can be trained to harvest ice cubes with its tiny, sharp front teeth.	Lurk	Shallow	All
28		Sealacanth	Large	Uncommon	Arctic	Nearly identical to its prehistoric ancestors, but more blubbery.	Approach	Shallow	All
29		Whiskered Chub	Medium	Uncommon	Arctic	Its long, drooping whiskers grow continually. They can eventually exceed the length of its body.	Lurk	All	All
30		Coral Chirpfish	Small	Uncommon	Arctic	It chirps when it's happy. Does it think it's a bird?	Approach	All	Day
31		Glacial Wimp	Small	Uncommon	Arctic	It spends much of its time avoiding predators by scurrying away with its tiny legs.	Approach	Deep	Night
32		Luminous Swindler	Small	Rare	Arctic	Lures in prey with its shiny head bobble. Infamous among fish for being a bit of a jerk.	Lurk	Deep	Night
33		Garland Conger	Medium	Rare	Arctic	Multiple swim bladders along its body give it fine control of its buoyancy.	Approach	All	All
34		Right Gazer	Medium	Rare	Arctic	Its huge eyes help compensate for distortion caused by differing water temperature and salinity.	Approach	Shallow	Day
35		Muckfang	Medium	Rare	Arctic	This slow moving amphibian can spend hours approaching prey before paralysing them with venomous fangs.	Approach	All	All
36		Variegated Breacher	Large	Legendary	Arctic	A strong fish that uses its robust horn to break through thick sheets of ice.	Approach	Deep	All
37		Orange Ashlet	Medium	Common	Magma	The gray stripes on its body camouflage it against the ridged crust of the magma's surface.	Lurk	Shallow	All
38		Red Hand	Medium	Common	Magma	This odd creature is not a single entity, but rather a group of separate symbiotic organisms.	Lurk	Deep	All
39		Sulphish	Small	Common	Magma	Its body creates a constant chemical reaction that propels it forward.	Approach	All	All
40		Scarlet Swellpurl	Large	Uncommon	Magma	It doesn't inflate when it's scared, but instead when it's bored. It's always bored.	Approach	All	Day
41		Lampred	Medium	Uncommon	Magma	It has the highest tooth to body ratio of any known fish.	Approach	Deep	Night
42		Basalt Darter	Small	Uncommon	Magma	Its narrow, angular body fits tightly into cracks in the volcanic rocks where it sleeps.	Approach	All	Day
43		Scorcheye	Small	Uncommon	Magma	This creature's feathery tendrils extend from its hard shell to filter bits of food from the magma as it swims.	Approach	All	Night
44		Gold Feudibranch	Small	Rare	Magma	Its tubular body is entirely soft except for the long, keratinous pincers on its head.	Approach	All	Day
45		Volcaris	Medium	Rare	Magma	A creature that has managed to avoid extinction despite its frail body.	Approach	Shallow	Night
46		Imperviray	Large	Rare	Magma	Its smooth skin is coated with a heat-resistant layer of Impervium.	Approach	All	Day
47		Seadragon	Small	Rare	Magma	This delicate creature uses the tiny, winglike fins on its back to ride gentle currents in flowing magma.	Lurk	All	Night
48		Magmalodon	Large	Legendary	Magma	A near-legendary fish said to be magma brought to life. A true challenge to catch.	Approach	Deep	All

Fish Critters

Critters are small, friendly unique monsters found on planets, and there are a variety of fish critter types. They have a tiny amount of health and appear in the bodies of liquid without a Fishing Rod.

Critters can be captured, like caught fish, using a Relocator, and placed again in the appropriate liquid type. Capture of these fish do not award any progress toward the Fishing Collection.

Appearance	Name	Spawn Name	Area	Region	Time	Planet Types	Mini-Biomes
	Arctic Fish	arcticfishcritter	Liquid	All	All		Arctic Ocean Floor
	Char Fish	charfishcritter	Liquid	All	All		Arctic Ocean Floor
	Fish	fishcritter	Liquid	All	All	All non-Ocean planets
	Fish Berry	fishberrycritter	Liquid	All	All	Ocean
	Fish Chili	fishchilicritter	Liquid	All	All	Ocean
	Fish Eye	fisheyecritter	Liquid	All	All	Tentacle
	Fish Lemon	fishlemoncritter	Liquid	All	All	Ocean
	Frogpole	frogpolecritter	Liquid	All	All		Swamp
	Glowing Fish	glowingfishcritter	Liquid	All	All		Bioluminescence
	Jello	jellocritter	Liquid	All	All		Toxic Ocean Floor
	Jelly	jellycritter	Liquid	All	All	Ocean	Ocean Floor
	Narfish	narfishcritter	Liquid	All	All		Arctic Ocean Floor
	Poison Fish	poisonfishcritter	Liquid	All	All		Toxic Ocean Floor
	Puffer Fish	pufferfishcritter	Liquid	All	All		Toxic Ocean Floor
	Skelly Fish	skellyfishcritter	Liquid	All	All		Toxic Ocean Floor
	Squid	squidcritter	Liquid	Exposed	All	Ocean	Ocean Floor
	Steam Fish	steamfishcritter	Liquid	All	All		Steamspring

Trivia

• The Chucklefish is a reference to Starbound's developer, Chucklefish.
• The Jerkfish and Chucklefish make an appearance as catchable fish in Wargroove.
• The Imperviray is stated to be made out of Impervium, which was a crafting material that existed in beta versions of Starbound. It is the only canon reference to Impervium left in the game.