If you have spent any amount of time on the water, you have probably witnessed fish jumping, and here you are, curious as to why a fish would do such a thing.
So Why Do Fish Jump Out Of The Water?
Fish mainly jump out of the water to avoid predators and to hunt their prey. However, they also will do it to remove parasites, procreate, or assist in giving birth.
Let’s take a deep dive into the reasons why fish jump out of the water.
Hunting For Their Next Meal: Fish of all species and sizes are constantly on the hunt for their next meal. Many fish are carnivores known to feast on other fish inhabiting their local waters. When a predator fish is preying upon another fish, the predator fish will go to great lengths to make it happen, including jumping out of the water as they are on their hunting pursuit. Fish will also jump out of the water to feast upon non-aquatic prey, including grasshoppers, lizards, flies, dragonflies, and other insects.
Many pelagic fish, including Tuna, Mahi-Mahi, Sailfish, Marlin, and Wahoo, are known to jump over five feet high as they chase their next meal.
Avoiding Predators: On the other hand, when fish are being preyed upon, they will do everything in their power to get away from the predator that is trying to eat them. Many fish are forced to the top of the water column and then forced to jump out of the water to avoid the jaws of another predator. Predator fish know that they can catch their prey easily if they keep them jumping out of the water by completely exhausting their prey.
Often when fish are jumping, other animals such as birds swoop in to get in on the action. One great example of this is when Tuna force a large school of baitfish to the top of the water. The baitfish begin to erratically jump out of the water, trying to keep from getting eaten. As the Tuna hunt the baitfish from the water, birds hunt from the air, snatching baitfish right out of the air. This hunting relationship between the Tuna and birds is considered a symbiotic relationship where both species work together to eat.
One baitfish in particular, the “flying fish,” takes dramatic leaps out of the water to avoid predators lurking in the waters underneath. Flying fish have been documented to jump distances over 1000 feet. Flying fish can make these dramatic leaps with the assistance of their wing-like pectoral fins. Contrary to their name, flying fish cannot fly but instead use their wing-like fins to glide long distances above the water.
Parasite Removal: In order to remove parasites, many fish are known to jump out of the water. Since fish do not have arms, legs, or other body features that would allow them to clean themselves, they resort to jumping out of the water in hopes that the splash will remove the parasites on the outer skin of the fish. Many fish can reach great heights allowing them to create a substantial force on the reentry.
Stingrays are a great example of this; they try to remove the parasites from the underside of their bodies. We know that this parasite removal technique is successful for Stingrays because many predator fish will follow stingrays and devour the parasites removed upon each jump. Stingrays can jump up to 6’ out of the water, becoming airborne for a few moments before they dramatically splash back into the water with a flop.
Giving Birth: Another reason why fish of various species jump is to assist them in giving birth to new offspring. Unlike other animals, fish cannot assist themselves during labor and have to rely on external forces to come to their aid to make this process easier.
Stingrays again are a great example of this. Stingrays will do a series of jumps in and out of the water, expelling small pups into the water. Stingrays are known to have a handful of offspring, so they may repeat their acrobatics a couple more times to birth the rest of their offspring.
Looking For a Mate: Fish have lots of methods to try to find or attract a mate. One of which is jumping out of the water. Certain species will continue a sequence of jumping out of the water, often resulting in a large school of fish gathering for an eventual spawn.
The mullet is a fish known to use their jumping to express their location, allowing them to gather in extremely large schools for the spawning season. Every year mullet use this technique to gather in schools of 10’s of thousand and eventually spawn.
Mobula Rays are also known to gather in large schools where they jump extreme heights to find a mate.
Procreation: Many freshwater species of fish, including Salmon, jump out of the water in an attempt to reach a final breading ground where they can procreate. Salmon, in particular, are an extremely impressive fish able to jump heights over 10’, allowing them to scale waterfalls with ease. Salmon are known to travel over 200 miles jumping thousands of times to reach their spawning territory. Salmon are even called Salar, which means leaper in Latin, because of their unmatched ability to jump out of the water.
Lack Of Oxygen: Some fish jump out of the water as a survival technique as they are looking for another body of water with higher oxygen levels. This can often be seen in canals or other stagnant bodies of water where the overall dissolved oxygen in the water is low. If the fish cannot locate an area with higher levels of oxygen, they will eventually suffocate.
Fun: Fish are not all business, they don’t just jump out of the water for survival. Sometimes they jump out of the water for the simple pleasure of doing so. I think jumping is an activity that all species that can, have fun experimenting with.
What Is It Called When A Fish Jumps Out Of The Water?
The act of a fish jumping out of the water is typically called leaping or breaching the water. If the fish is able to get its body entirely out of the water, it is often referred to as breaching.
Other words people use to describe a fish jumping out of the water include leap, skip or hop.
Why Do Fish Jump When You Hook Them?
Fish jump when hooked in an attempt to remove the hook out of their mouths. When a fish jumps, it creates slack in the fishing line, allowing the hook to slide out of their mouths.
Why Do Fish Jump In The Morning?
Many fish are known to jump in the morning to escape predators. On average, fish are the most actively feeding in the mornings. This is because it’s hard to hunt at night as soon as the light comes up and they can see well, they are on the prowl.
Why Do Fish Jump Out Of A Pond?
On average, fish will jump out of a pond as a last attempt to escape a predator trying to eat them. Often, fish will jump out of the water and land on shore to escape becoming another fish’s lunch.
Why Are Fish Jumping But Not Biting?
As a general rule, when fish are jumping in an area its a good indicator that there is a large school of fish, but that does not always mean they will be bitting. They may be spawning or being chased by a predator fish.
Why Do Fish Flop On Land?
Typically Fish flop when on land in an attempt to get back into the water. When fish land on a boat or shore, they become stressed and fight to get themselves back into the water to survive.
Interested in the different heights fish can jump? Check this out!
| Type of fish | Max jumping height |
| Rays | 6′ |
| Mako Shark | 20′ |
| Carp | 10′ |
| Mullet | 3′ |
| Salmon | 13′ |
| Marlin | 5′ |
| Flying Fish | 10′ |
| Dolphin | 25′ |