Bass (fish) facts for kids

For other uses of the word "bass," see bass.

A smallmouth bass

Bass is the name of some species (types) of fish that are often caught for food or sport. There are freshwater bass (that live in rivers and lakes) and saltwater bass (that live in the ocean). Many bass live in or near North America. Bass are from the order of Perciformes or "perch-like fish". Their name comes from the word for perch.

Some well-known bass species are:

• temperate basses such as the striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and white bass (M. chrysops), from the family Moronidae.
• warm water basses, such as the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), smallmouth bass (M. dolomieu), spotted bass (M. punctulatus), Guadalupe bass (M. treculii) and rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris), from the sunfish family, Centrarchidae. These basses are also called black basses.

Many other species are also called basses, such as:

• The Australian bass, Macquaria novemaculeata, from the perch family, Percichthyidae.
• The black sea bass, Centropristis striata, from the family Serranidae.
• The giant sea bass Stereolepis gigas, also called the black sea bass, from the family Polyprionidae.
• The Chilean sea bass, Dissostichus eleginoides, more commonly known as the Patagonian toothfish.
• The European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax.

Images for kids

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  Striped bass (Morone saxatilis)

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  Lateolabrax japonicus

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  Micropterus salmoides — largemouth bass with assorted sunfish