Fish

For other articles on related terms, see Fish (disambiguation).

This is an overview article, listing content appearing in multiple games.

Gameplay articles Fallout Fish (Skunk) Fallout 2 Fish Fallout 3 Fish Fallout: New Vegas Fish Fallout 4 Fish Catfish (Ol' Peg) Fallout 76 Fish Catfish

Fish are a group of animals distinguished by being aquatic, having a distinct skull, gills, and no limbs with digits. Due to the horror of the Great War, fish are a rare sight inland and most are horribly mutated.

Background

Commonplace before the Great War and the climate change it wrought, fish were an important part of human society. Many species were fished from water bodies and oceans to become an important part of the human diet, thanks to their protein and omega-3 fatty acid content. Fishpacking companies like Mahkra Fishpacking or Four Leaf would sign contracts with independent fishing boats for their bounties, facing stiff competition. The economy of entire regions was tied to commercial fishing, e.g. in Maine. Some of the staple species included bluefish and haddock.

Amateur fishing was also commonplace, though typically subject to licensing, like hunting. It was popular as a survival skill among Pioneer Scouts, with the lakes around Grafton a popular destination for bass fishing trips. Troops deployed overseas also commonly came into contact with exotic fish and learned to prepare them. Some of the experience thus gained became essential after the War to figuring out ways to cook mutated creatures.

Lake Quannapowitt in Massachusetts was one example of inland pollution; suspected illegal waste dumping by Corvega, General Atomics and Saugus Ironworks polluted the waters severely, spiking by January 2077, and continuing to increase. By July, the pollution became so intense that the fishing tournament organized by the mayor ended in tragedy, with 27 casualties due to radiation exposure and no fish caught. Independent testing showed a 1,500% increase in contamination year over year. To avoid embarrassment and litigation, the city attorney instructed all evidence to be destroyed, despite being obligated otherwise.

Aside from this monstrosity, the idea of aquatic monsters preying on humans led to the release of Night of the Fish Men's Revenge and Attack of the Fishmen, about Mesozoic creatures rising up to attack humans.

After the War

The size of the fishing industry was so great that even after 200 years the facilities remain easily recognizable despite the deterioration, and retained their distinctive odor. Due to the scale of the operations and overfishing, the fish packing plants had vast amounts of processed fish stored, which remain available, edible, and irradiated even after 200 years of scavenging and exposure to the elements (thanks to preservatives).

While fish suffered from environmental pollution before the Great War and were exposed to nuclear fallout after the War, the collapse of human society had a beneficial long-term effect on marine life, allowing them to recover. However, the same environmental pressures also mean fish are no longer an obvious source of nutrition; while they can be caught (though some doubt it's even possible), and with the proper preparation (even roasting over an open fire) they remain an excellent meal, the mutations can be severe enough to become indigestible. Minor alterations, like two heads, are considered perfectly edible. In severely contaminated regions like the Capital Wasteland, fish can even be lethal; those who live in the Potomac waters are typically horribly irradiated and full of heavy metals, especially mercury, leading to irreversible brain damage. Most know well enough to stay away from fish of any kind. Some of the mutated species are a different danger; they are so large they could pull fishermen into the waters and drown them, turning predator into prey.

With that in mind, fish became a source of sustenance for many individuals and communities and even a part of their economies, though the lack of advanced technologies means they have to once more rely on fish nets, rods, and individual strength. The traditional disdain of fishermen for interruptions persisted, as did their bad temper when disturbed. Fishing isn't done only from the shore; in regions like the Commonwealth, wastelanders are able to take boats out to the waters for fishing.

In New California, fish are the staple food of the Shi, together with seaweed, and rice (owing to the poor soil). Everyone in San Francisco relies on fish for nutrition, from the Shi workers and peasants to the squatters living on the shoreline, to the tanker vagrants. Workers at the docks are typically covered in tar, salt, and fish scales from processing the catch, and can make use of any part of fish, including fish juice. As such, fish are San Fran's principal export. Most of the locals appreciate the fresh air, the sun, and seafood, although the reliance on fish is not universally appreciated.

Other examples of settlements relying on fishing include Far Harbor on the other end of the continent. Much of the settlement traces their lineage to pre-War commercial sailors and fishermen, and salvaged fishing equipment serves both for catching fish and for combat. The Island was also home to other communities of fishers and hunters, though many were driven to madness by the horrors and ever-present Fog. In the Commonwealth to the south, this includes many coastal communities like University Point (at least before its destruction). A persistent issue is the amount of junk in the waters, which means that instead of fish, one may catch a mini nuke instead. Even mutants rely on fish for sustenance, such as the super mutants of the Commonwealth (though they also seem to confuse crustacean mirelurks with fish).

Such spoils may have unorthodox uses. Dynamite fishing, using explosives to kill fish and then collect them from the surface, was known before the Great War. Fat Man shells can be used for the same purpose.

Species

• Bass
  • Sea bass
• Beluga whales
• Bluefish
• Belcher's sea snake, the most venomous snake in the world. A few milligrams of venom is enough to kill hundreds of people.
• Catfish, with spines long enough to pierce a human heart or lungs. Catfish survived the War and the species mutated, some developing three eyes and preying on fish in the coastal waters of New California.
  • Bullhead catfish
• Carp
• Cod
• Great white shark, with a bite strength exceeding 40,000 psi or 2,758 bar.
• Haddock
• Lungfish
• Musky
• Perch
• Puffer fish
• Salmon
• Scorpaenidae family, including the lionfish, which possess a sharp dorsal spine coated in a venomous mucus.
• Stingrays, with venomous barbs in their tails and with a cartilage skeleton.
• Swordfish, a fish that would use its bill to lash out and stun prey. It also possessed a special organ to heat their brain and eyes.
• Tuna
• Walleye

Other marine species

• Horseshoe crabs, older than the dinosaurs and with blue blood used commonly in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Starfish, with some species capable of regenerating into two separate entities if bifurcated. All possess the ability to regenerate missing limbs, do not possess a brain, and see with their legs.