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 | Cape horse mackerel | 255,000 |
| 2 | Cape hakes | 135,000 |
| 3 | South African fur seal | 6,200 |
| 4 | Blue shark | 4,694 |
| 5 | Snoek | 3,500 |
| 6 | West African geryon | 3,000 |
| 7 | Freshwater fishes nei | 2,800 |
| 8 | Kingklip | 2,300 |
| 9 | Bigeye tuna | 2,070 |
| 10 | Panga seabream | 2,000 |
| 11 | Swordfish | 1,100 |
| 12 | Shortfin mako | 789 |
| 13 | Devil anglerfish | 750 |
| 14 | Sardinellas nei | 600 |
| 15 | Various squids nei | 400 |
| 16 | Yellowfin tuna | 356 |
| 17 | Cape dory | 350 |
| 18 | Orange roughy | 200 |
| 18 | Cape gurnard | 200 |
| 20 | Oilfish | 131 |
| 21 | Alfonsinos nei | 120 |
| 22 | Large-eye dentex | 115 |
| 23 | Cape rock lobster | 100 |
| 24 | West coast sole | 75 |
| 25 | Blue marlin | 8 |
| 26 | Sharks, rays, skates, etc. nei | 5 |
| 27 | Black cardinal fish | 3 |
| 28 | Pelagic armourhead | 2 |
| 29 | Oreo dories nei | 1 |
| 29 | Skipjack tuna | 1 |
Data from FAO. 2025. Global Capture Production. In: Fisheries and Aquaculture.