Fish

Fish
Biological type:	Aquatic organisms
Place of origin:	Earth
First appearance:	The Dalek Invasion of Earth
Appearances:	see list

Extraterrestrial lookalikes

Fish were a variety of water-dwelling animal found on Earth and many other planets.

Fish on Earth

On Earth, fish swam in water. (TV: Listen) Oceans on Earth, including the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic contained deep ocean trenches. The high pressure in these trenches meant that fish had to be specially adapted in order to survive. (PROSE: Slow Decay) Land fish were able to travel across land. (TV: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang)

Uses

On Earth, fish and chips were often served as food. (TV: The Rebel Flesh) The Eleventh Doctor particularly enjoyed fish fingers. (TV: The Eleventh Hour)

Fishing, the sport of catching fish, was a popular pastime enjoyed by the Doctor. (TV: The Androids of Tara, The Two Doctors)

History

The Sixth Doctor ate fish, among other foods, at a feast with Alfred the Great in the 9th century. (PROSE: The Man Who Wouldn't Give Up)

In 1892, a group of Irish immigrants caught a strange fish on their journey to Melbourne. (PROSE: Have You Seen This Man?)

In Victorian times, showmen used to draw the crowds by taking the skull of a cat, glueing it to a fish and calling it a mermaid. The Ninth Doctor compared the Slitheen's genetically modified pig with this trick while explaining the pig's true nature to Toshiko Sato. (TV: Aliens of London)

Leela prods dead fish on Fang Rock. (TV: Horror of Fang Rock)

In the 1900s, when Fang Rock rock was engulfed in fog during a Rutan scouting mission, Leela found dead fish floating in a pool of water and poked them with her knife. The Fourth Doctor attributed their deaths to an electrical field present on the island. (TV: Horror of Fang Rock)

In 1984, Frank Harris was recruited from the refinery to work on a plan to restock the North Sea with fish. (PROSE: Downtime)

In 2011, due to an alien totem pole, fish started raining from the sky. (TV: The Curse of Clyde Langer)

In 2013, many fish in Ambermouth harbour died overnight due to the presence of silicon quartz in the water. Gulls gorged on the bodies until they couldn't fly. (AUDIO: Eldrad Must Die!)

When asked by Ramón Salamander's chef Griffin to tell him a menu for dinner, Victoria Waterfield suggested having fish on the menu. (TV: The Enemy of the World)

David Campbell caught a fish and teased Susan Foreman by dangling it in front of her face. (TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth)

In 5000000023, Rose-the-Cat caught a fish on New Earth. (COMIC: A Rose by Any Other Name)

Undated events

The Second Doctor once ate fish served by Bior and his tribe in Scandinavia. (PROSE: That Which Went Away)

The Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones were served fish, as well as canapés, soup and trifle, at a dinner in the Dreamhome hosted by Ernest Tiermann. (PROSE: Sick Building)

The Twelfth Doctor once observed the "perfect defence" of a puffer fish when questioning as to whether there could be such a thing as "perfect hiding". (TV: Listen)

Types of fish on Earth

Fish were common in Earth's seas, rivers and lakes. Types of fish included:

• Pilot fish
• Goldfish
• Shark
• Salmon
• Swordfish
• Cod
• Eel
• Roe
• Carp
• Perch
• Rainbow trout
• Electric eel
• Molly
• Puffer fish
• Ice fish
• Sonny
• Lure fish
• Mudskipper
• Atlantic salmon
• Lungfish
• Trout
• Red snapper
• Monk fish
• Shrimp

Elsewhere in the universe

"Flying" fish of the aqua planet. (COMIC: Dr. Who on the Aqua Planet)

Like on Earth, fish could be found beneath the seas of other planets. Aaglon sharks were native to the waters of the planet Olleril. (PROSE: Tragedy Day) Fugora fish lived in the seas of Megerra. (PROSE: Mean Streets) Lake Abydos was home to singing fish. (AUDIO: Neverland) Yaddlefish were a type of fish which lived on Gallifrey. (PROSE: Blind Fury) Kandalinga was home to a wide variety of fish, including some which were larger than the TARDIS. (PROSE: The Fishmen of Kandalinga)

On the aqua planet, the First Doctor observed small fish swimming alongside larger Aquamonsters in patches of invisible liquid, making the illusion that they were in flight. (COMIC: Dr. Who on the Aqua Planet)

Similarily, in Sardicktown, fish existed which were able to swim through fog, making it appear as if they were flying. The Eleventh Doctor encountered numerous sky fish and a sky shark in the town. (TV: A Christmas Carol)

Universally, some fish could be eaten. The Gumblejack was considered one of the tastiest fish in Mutter's Spiral. (TV: The Two Doctors)

The Sevateem used spears to catch fish on their planet. (AUDIO: The Fate of Krelos)

References

The Eleventh Doctor attempted to disguise his interest in the lack of vibrations on the deck of Starship UK by pretending to be looking for "an escaped fish". (TV: The Beast Below)

Whilst dressed as Sherlock Holmes, the Eleventh Doctor asked one of Walter Simeon's servants if he had a fish called Colin. When he said "no", the Doctor said he didn't think he had. (TV: The Snowmen)

While serving as a governess under the alias Miss Montague, Clara Oswin Oswald claimed to her young charges in 1892 that she invented fish so she wouldn't be alone while swimming. (TV: The Snowmen)

The phrase "like shooting fish in a barrel" referred to doing something that was really easy. The Fourth Doctor compared tricking the guards on Zanak to shooting fish in a barrel. (TV: The Pirate Planet) Henry McMullan compared shooting the Drelleran to fish in a barrel. (AUDIO: Destination: Nerva)