Game fish
Game fish are fish pursued for sport by recreational anglers. They can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, though increasingly anglers practice catch and release to improve fish populations. Some game fish are also targeted commercially, particularly salmon.
Examples
The species of fish pursued by anglers varies with geography. Some fish are sought for their value as food while others are pursued for their fighting abilities or for the difficulty of pursuit.
Big game fish are bony saltwater fish such as tuna, tarpon, and billfish (sailfish, marlin and swordfish).
In North America, anglers fish also for common snook, redfish, salmon, trout, bass, pike, catfish, walleye and muskellunge. The smallest fish are called panfish, because they can fit in a normal cooking pan. Examples are crappies, perch, rock bass, bluegill and sunfish. Panfish are often hunted by younger anglers.
In the United Kingdom, "game fish" refers to Salmonids (other than grayling) – that is, salmon, trout and char. Other freshwater fish are called coarse fish.