FishWatch API

⭐ Beginner's Pick Animals / No Auth Required Beginner HTTPS CORS
Free to Use Varies (check documentation)

Overview

FishWatch by NOAA provides sustainability data, habitat info, and images for US fish species. No API key required—great for beginners exploring real government-sourced environmental data.

💡

Beginner Tip

The real API endpoint is fishwatch.gov/api/species; the URL in the directory listing points to the info page, not the API itself.

Available Data

FishWatch data via REST API
JSON-formatted response data
Freely accessible without authentication

Example Response

JSON Response
{
  "image_url": "https://api.example.com/fishwatch/random.jpg",
  "status": "success"
}

Field Reference

Species Name Common name of the fish species
Scientific Name Latin scientific name
Image Gallery Array of image objects with src URL and alt text
Habitat Description of where the species lives
Fishing Rate Current fishing sustainability rating such as "At Recommended Level"

Implementation Example

const url = "https://www.fishwatch.gov/developers";
const response = await fetch(url);
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

What Can You Build?

Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

Huge response payload Calling /api/species returns all ~100 species at once
Append the species name to the path such as /api/species/atlantic-cod for a single entry
404 on species name Using common name with spaces instead of hyphens
Replace spaces with hyphens: "atlantic cod" becomes atlantic-cod in the URL
Null image field Some species have no associated image in the database
Always check if image is null before rendering an img tag

Matrix Score Breakdown

🌐 Reachability 30/30
⚡ Speed 2/20
🔒 Security 15/15
🛠 Developer XP 20/20
✓ Reliability 7/15
Response Time 4386ms

Fully tested on Apr 5, 2026

Technical Specifications

Auth No Auth
HTTPS REQUIRED
CORS YES
Category Animals
Difficulty Beginner
Verified: 2026-04-07

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