A Karachi Seafood Glossary: Fish Names You Hear at the Market

Walk through a seafood market in Karachi and you will quickly realise that fish have more than one language.

A customer may ask for Surmai.

A seller may describe it using an English name.

A fisheries document may use a completely different common name.

And a scientific paper may identify the fish with a Latin binomial that almost nobody uses at the fish counter.

All four can be talking about the same general seafood category.

Sometimes, however, they are not talking about exactly the same species.

That distinction is important.

A market name tells you what people call a fish in trade.

A common English name helps communicate across regions.

A scientific name identifies a particular species.

These systems overlap, but they are not interchangeable.

This glossary is designed to make Karachi’s seafood vocabulary easier to understand without pretending that every local name has one perfectly fixed scientific meaning.

How to read this glossary

Each entry uses four basic pieces of information:

Market name: what a buyer may hear locally.

English name: the closest useful English description.

Scientific identity: the species or group when the evidence supports it.

Confidence: how safely the local name can be mapped to that identity.

For some fish, the mapping is clear.

For others, the correct answer is:

the market name covers more than one species.

That is not a failure of the glossary.

It is the reality of seafood terminology.

White Paplet

English: White pomfret / silver pomfret

Scientific name: Pampus argenteus

Common Pakistani name: Safaid Paplet / White Paplet

Confidence: High

White paplet has a strong species-level identification in Pakistani and Karachi-related records.

It is a separate species from black pomfret and is commonly recognised by its bright, silvery appearance and deep, compressed body.

Whole white pomfret is particularly common as a preparation for frying, grilling and baking.

Black Paplet

English: Black pomfret

Scientific name: Parastromateus niger

Common Pakistani name: Kala Paplet

Confidence: High

Black paplet is a different species from white pomfret.

Although both are called paplet, they should not be treated as two colour forms of the same fish.

The distinction is biological as well as visual:

White Paplet = Pampus argenteus

Black Paplet = Parastromateus niger

For a buyer, this is one of the easier Karachi naming distinctions because the scientific identities are comparatively well established.

English: Seerfish / Spanish mackerel-type fish

Scientific identity: Several Scomberomorus species may be relevant

Common Pakistani name: Surmai

Confidence: Medium

Surmai is one of Karachi’s most recognisable fish names, but it should not automatically be assigned to one fixed species.

A Pakistani seafood source identifies Surmai as Scomberomorus guttatus, while wider seerfish literature includes several Scomberomorus species.

That means:

Surmai is a market name.

It is not automatically a species name.

When the exact fish has been identified, the scientific name should be stated for that particular product.

What does this mean for a buyer?

If you simply ask for Surmai, a seller will understand the commercial category you are looking for.

If species-level identification matters, ask:

“Which species is this Surmai?”

That is especially useful for international trade, scientific information, nutrition data and species-specific advice.

English: Indian mackerel

Scientific name: Rastrelliger kanagurta

Common Pakistani name: Bangra / Bangda

Confidence: High

This is one of the cleaner species-name relationships in the glossary.

Indian mackerel is a familiar seafood fish in South Asia and is associated with the Pakistani market name Bangra or Bangda.

Unlike some broader Karachi market categories, this name can be linked confidently to Rastrelliger kanagurta in the reviewed evidence.

Mackerel is also important from a food-safety perspective because inadequate chilling can lead to histamine formation in susceptible fish.

That is one reason cold-chain information matters particularly for this category.

English: Fourfinger threadfin / Indian salmon

Scientific name: Eleutheronema tetradactylum

Common Pakistani name: Rawas

Confidence: High

Rawas is a particularly useful example of the difference between a common name and scientific identity.

It is commonly described as Indian salmon, but it is not Atlantic salmon.

The actual species commonly identified as Rawas is Eleutheronema tetradactylum, a member of the threadfin family.

So:

Rawas ≠ Atlantic salmon

and:

“Indian salmon” does not mean “salmon family.”

Rawas is commonly valued for its substantial flesh and is well suited to thick portions, grilling, pan cooking and curry.

English: Sardine

Scientific identity: Sardinella species, with Sardinella longiceps documented

Common local names: Tarli / Luar

Confidence: High at category level, lower at species level

Sardine terminology requires more caution than the name might suggest.

The reviewed Pakistani evidence documents Tarli or Luar in relation to sardine-type fish, including Sardinella longiceps.

But Sardinella contains multiple species, and local commercial names should not automatically be treated as proof of one particular species.

So it is safer to think of Tarli as a sardine market category unless the actual species has been verified.

English: Hilsa shad

Scientific name: Tenualosa ilisha

Common local name: Palla

Confidence: High

Palla has a much stronger species-level identification.

Pakistani and Sindh scientific literature identifies Palla as Tenualosa ilisha.

This is the fish widely known internationally as hilsa.

The name is particularly associated with Sindh and the Indus system, making it an important example of how a regional seafood name can correspond to a clearly defined species.

English: Cobia

Scientific name: Rachycentron canadum

Common Pakistani name: Sangro

Confidence: High

Sangro is a useful example where Pakistani research provides a clear species-level identification.

The scientific species is Rachycentron canadum, commonly known internationally as cobia.

Cobia has firm flesh and works well in several cooking methods, including grilling, pan cooking and curry.

English: Grunter

Scientific identity: Several Pomadasys species

Common local name: Dhotar

Confidence: Low to medium at species level

Dhotar should be treated as a market category, not a guaranteed scientific species.

A current commercial source identifies Dhotar as Pomadasys kaakan.

However, Karachi-area records have also associated the local name with other Pomadasys species, including:

Pomadasys olivaceus

and

Pomadasys maculatus

That means it would be misleading to write:

“Dhotar is Pomadasys kaakan.”

without knowing which particular fish is being sold.

A more accurate description is:

“Dhotar is a local market name associated with several grunter species.”

English: Croaker / jewfish

Scientific identity: Several Sciaenidae species

Common local name: Mushka

Confidence: Low

Mushka is one of the strongest examples of naming ambiguity in Karachi seafood.

Different sources have used the name for different fish.

One seafood processor identifies Mushka as Otolithes ruber.

A current Karachi retailer identifies Mushka as Otolithes cuvieri.

Older Karachi-area records have also associated the name with other sciaenids, including:

Sciaena dussumieri

Johnius axillaris

and others.

There is therefore no defensible reason to choose one scientific name and present it as the universal meaning of Mushka.

The correct label depends on the actual fish.

English: Snapper

Scientific identity: Lutjanus argentimaculatus documented

Common local name: Hira / Heera

Confidence: Medium

Karachi-area documentation identifies Hira with mangrove jack or red snapper, Lutjanus argentimaculatus.

However, broader commercial usage appears to be less precise.

That means the name Hira is useful as a market reference, but the scientific identification should still be confirmed for the particular product when species-level accuracy matters.

English: Seabream

Scientific identity: Acanthopagrus species, with Acanthopagrus arabicus documented commercially

Common local name: Dandia

Confidence: Medium

Dandia is another name where a broad commercial category can overlap with species-level terminology.

The reviewed evidence includes Acanthopagrus arabicus in current commercial identification, while Acanthopagrus more broadly represents several seabream species.

So it is better to treat Dandia as a market term unless the actual species has been verified.

English: Barracuda

Scientific identity: Sphyraena species

Common local name: Kund

Confidence: Medium

Kund is used for barracuda-type fish.

Because multiple Sphyraena species can occur within the broader category, the market name should not automatically be treated as one species.

The useful translation is therefore:

Kund → barracuda category

with the exact species confirmed separately when necessary.

English: Grouper

Scientific identity: Epinephelus species and related serranids

Common local name: Gisser

Confidence: High at group level

Gisser is best understood as a grouper category rather than one guaranteed species.

Sindh fisheries terminology uses the name for small groupers, while Pakistani fisheries references document multiple grouper species.

This is an important distinction because “grouper” itself covers many species.

A product page should identify the exact species only when it has actually been verified.

English: Sole / flatfish

Scientific identity: Cynoglossus species and related flatfish

Common local name: Sole

Confidence: High at group level

Sole is a broad market category.

Sindh fisheries terminology classifies Sole as flat fish, while Pakistani fisheries literature includes several flatfish and sole-like taxa.

For this reason, “Sole” should not automatically be followed by one scientific species name.

The exact identification depends on the fish.

English: Prawn / shrimp

Scientific identity: Multiple Penaeidae species

Common local name: Jhinga

Confidence: High at category level

Jhinga is essentially a commercial category for prawns or shrimp rather than the name of one species.

Karachi fisheries studies document multiple penaeid species occurring in the regional fishery.

This is why a prawn product should ideally communicate additional information such as:

species,

size,

head-on or head-off,

shell-on or peeled,

and:

deveined or not

where those details are known.

English: Lobster

Scientific identity: Multiple lobster taxa

Common local name: Kikar / Kikat

Confidence: Medium to high at category level

Kikat or Kikar should be understood as a lobster category rather than a single species name.

Pakistan has several commercially relevant lobster taxa, including members of different lobster groups.

If the exact species matters, it should be separately identified.

English: Crab

Scientific identity: Multiple crab groups

Common local name: Kekra

Confidence: High at category level

Kekra simply means crab in the relevant market vocabulary.

That does not identify one species.

Different crab species can be sold under the same broad category, so an exact scientific name requires identification of the actual animal.

This is particularly important when discussing size, habitat, seasonality or sustainability at species level.

English: Squid

Scientific identity: Multiple cephalopod species

Common local name: Maiyya

Confidence: High at category level

Maiyya is used as a squid-related market term, but squid itself covers multiple species.

The same practical principle applies:

market category first, species identification second.

For cooking, the species often matters less to a home cook than the cleaning, thickness and cooking method.

For scientific or regulatory purposes, however, species identification can be important.

A market name develops because people need a practical way to buy and sell seafood.

Scientific taxonomy has a different purpose.

It tries to distinguish organisms according to their biological relationships and characteristics.

Those two systems are therefore solving different problems.

A fish seller does not need to say Eleutheronema tetradactylum every time someone asks for Rawas.

The customer does not need to know the Latin name to cook dinner.

But when you are trying to compare scientific literature, identify a species, understand regulations or interpret a nutrition study, the scientific name becomes important.

That is why a good seafood reference should include both.

The same problem appears internationally

This is not uniquely Pakistani.

Common names can vary between:

A fish sold under one English name in one country may be known by another English name elsewhere.

The reverse can happen too.

A single common name can sometimes describe several species.

That is why scientific names are useful for international seafood communication.

Why Karachi terminology is still valuable

The fact that a name may be scientifically ambiguous does not make it unimportant.

Quite the opposite.

Names such as Surmai, Paplet, Rawas, Dhotar and Mushka are part of how seafood is actually bought, sold and discussed in Karachi.

Ignoring those names would make a seafood guide less useful to local customers.

The solution is not to replace local terminology.

It is to put the terminology in context.

For example:

Surmai Market name for seerfish-type fish Scientific identity: verify the species

That is much more useful than either extreme:

“Surmai means nothing scientifically.”

or:

“Surmai is definitely one species everywhere.”

Market name vs common name vs scientific name

These three layers are worth keeping separate.

Market name

The name customers and traders use.

Examples:

Surmai

Rawas

Dhotar

Mushka

Common English name

A broader name used to communicate outside the local market.

Examples:

seerfish

threadfin

grunter

croaker

Scientific name

The formal species name.

Examples:

Eleutheronema tetradactylum

Parastromateus niger

Pampus argenteus

When the species is verified, all three layers can be shown together.

When the species is uncertain, the market name should remain a market name.

What should I ask when a fish has an unfamiliar local name?

You do not need to know the scientific terminology yourself.

Ask the seller:

What is the English name?

What species is it?

Is this the same fish as [familiar name]?

Is the fish local or imported?

Is it fresh or previously frozen?

The question “What species is it?” is particularly useful when buying a fish whose local name is known to have multiple meanings.

What should a seafood business publish?

A well-described seafood product can bridge the gap between market language and scientific language.

For example:

Rawas

Fourfinger threadfin

Eleutheronema tetradactylum

Or, for a more ambiguous product:

Dhotar

Local market name

Associated with several Pomadasys species

Scientific identity: verified per product where available

That level of transparency is far more useful than pretending a local name is always taxonomically precise.

The glossary in one table

One rule worth remembering

When a local seafood name has a clear scientific identity, give both.

When it does not, do not invent one.

That is the safest way to build a seafood reference that can serve both someone buying fish in Karachi and someone reading about the same product from another country.

The local name tells you how the fish is known in the market.

The scientific name tells you which organism has actually been identified.

A useful seafood guide should respect both.