The 267 species of fish listed here were personally observed by John Earle (Research Associate in Zoology, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawai'i) during 7 scuba dives at Shark Reef, Fiji between September 28 and October1, 2004.  Depth ranged from 100' (30 m) at the lower shark feeding station to the 10' (3 m) decompression stop.

This is a high species count for a few dives in a limited area, especially considering that the presence of large sharks distracted somewhat from a focus on smaller fishes.  The fauna of Shark Reef is exceptionally rich.  With additional observation the fish count could be expected to reach around 300 species.  A comprehensive list would include many other species such as tiger shark, great hammerhead shark, and manta ray, which have been observed and photographed by others at this site, but were not seen during the survey period.

Common names generally follow American usage according to Randall and Myers.  Australian common names are often different.  While a Yank's grouper may be an Australian's cod, the scientific name would be the same everywhere.  Families of fish are presented in phylogenetic order, which is roughly the sequence of evolution.