What kind of fish were the disciples fishing?

Red belly tilapia served in an Israeli restaurant. Photo: Wikipedia Commons.

Pastor Kristin’s sermon on Sunday regarding the Gospel, Luke 5:1-11, got me thinking: What was Peter fishing for in particular?

The most common fish to eat from the Sea of Galilee are tilapia, sardines, carp, and catfish. Each have particular Galilean-specific species.

Tilapia is sometimes called St. Peter’s fish because it was the likely preferred catch in the Levant at the time of Jesus.

The tilapia itself has a couple variants in Galilee. The red belly tilapia is also common tilapia. The other is the mango tilapia—which is larger and white in color. The blue tilapia is fed into the Sea of Galilee via the Jordan River.

These Galilean tilapias are found in American freshwater, introduced into our waters from Israel, and is considered an invasive species—competing with indigenous fish for resources.

Generally, farmed tilapia is the fourth-most eaten fish in the U.S.—mostly fried and broiled.

Blue tilapia. Photo: Wikipedia commons.