fish / fishes

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Ume

Banned
Japanese
Christmas tree at aquarium in Fukui Pref.
Dec. 04 FUKUI, Japan
Breeding staff wearing Santa Claus costumes set up a 3-meter-high Christmas tree in a water tank at Echizen Matsushima Aquarium in the town of Mikuni, Fukui Prefecture, on Dec. 4, 2009. Some 3,000 fish of 20 kinds swim in the tank, which measures 10 meters in width and 6 meters in depth. (Kyodo)




The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary says:
fish
noun (pl. fish or fishes) [HELP] Fish is the usual plural form. The older form, fishes, can be used to refer to different kinds of fish.


Therefore, shouldn't fish be "fishes"?
 
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    Niblib

    Senior Member
    English - Australia
    I don't know about anyone else, but I would never use fishes, no matter what the dictionary said.
     
    entangledbank

    entangledbank

    Senior Member
    London
    English - South-East England
    The 3000 fish aren't 3000 different kinds of fish. The special plural can be illustrated by saying that trout, perch, pike are fishes. (But usually we say 'fish' anyway - 'fishes' is rare in any sense.)
     
    K

    koniecswiata

    Senior Member
    Am English
    I would probably say fishes if I could count them (probably as I am seeing them in an aquarium)--and that is as a noun. But, then again I'd also say buffaloes, elephants, and hippos, where I've noticed some native speakers drop off the s.
     
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    Bigote Blanco

    Senior Member
    Omaha, Nebraska, USA
    english
    Other options:
    Some 3,000 fish, of 20 different species, swim in the tank.
    Among 20 different species, some 3,000 fish swim in the tank.
    With 20 different species, some 3,000 fish swim in the tank.
    Including 20 different species, some 3,000 fish swim in the tank.
     
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