Top fish catches in metric tons from the latest year with data available, 2022. Data from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
| Rank | Fish Species | Metric Tons |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sardinellas nei | 197,670 |
| 2 | Cunene horse mackerel | 105,021 |
| 3 | Cape horse mackerel | 44,679 |
| 4 | Flatfishes nei | 27,537 |
| 5 | Freshwater fishes nei | 22,962 |
| 6 | Large-eye dentex | 14,180 |
| 7 | Shallow-water Cape hake | 13,996 |
| 8 | West African croakers nei | 8,454 |
| 9 | John dory | 7,238 |
| 10 | Threadfins, tasselfishes nei | 5,301 |
| 11 | Striped red shrimp | 3,194 |
| 12 | Marine crabs nei | 2,562 |
| 13 | Little tunny(=Atl.black skipj) | 2,534 |
| 14 | West African Spanish mackerel | 2,377 |
| 15 | Bigeye grunt | 2,013 |
| 16 | Pargo breams nei | 2,009 |
| 17 | Atlantic bonito | 1,840 |
| 18 | Yellowfin tuna | 1,609 |
| 19 | Skipjack tuna | 869 |
| 20 | Groupers nei | 634 |
| 21 | Cuttlefish, bobtail squids nei | 472 |
| 22 | Various squids nei | 386 |
| 23 | Sea catfishes nei | 341 |
| 24 | Deep-water rose shrimp | 317 |
| 25 | West coast sole | 294 |
| 26 | Sharks, rays, skates, etc. nei | 263 |
| 27 | Rays, stingrays, mantas nei | 219 |
| 28 | Sand steenbras | 203 |
| 29 | Octopuses, etc. nei | 158 |
| 30 | Lobsters nei | 4 |
Data from FAO. 2025. Global Capture Production. In: Fisheries and Aquaculture.