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Archaeology and ancient art show a diversity of fishes including tilapia, catfish, perch, carp, eels, bichir, pufferfish, elephant fish and many small species
Being caught and eaten.

Cyprinid, or “carp” are found throughout the Nile system, feeding primarily on plankton and algae
Appearing in mythns, iconography and mythology. Though not as prized as tilapia.

Eels belong to a different ecological group from most other Nile fish
They were there but less well quantified archaeologically.

Nile Bichir, or polypterus bichir, are a primitive, elongated freshwater fish native to the Nile. Adults can reach around 60–75 cm and ~2–3 kg
Bichirs are part of the Nile’s native ichthyofauna but are not prominently documented in surviving Pharaonic diet lists or tomb art compared to tilapia, perch, or catfish.

Archaeological sites and artistic depictions show many species including puffers, elephant fish (elephant-nose fish), small barbs, gobies, and other small taxa

In a society that relied heavily on agricuture carp, eel, bichir, and many smaller species provided protein and fats when meat was not available

Many fish appear frequently in tomb art and hieroglyphs, indicating not just practical food use but cultural significance

Fish like the oxyrhynchus elephant fish were featured in myth and town identity.

Fisherman tied hooks and lines with plant fiber. They had spears & harpoons, and traps & nets
Wicker traps and basketry traps were also used.

Fishing was both practical subsistence and, in some contexts, recreational or ceremonial among elites, with angling scenes appearing in art

Fish were prepared grilled, boiled, or roasted on open fires. They were dried or salted and paired with staples such as barley bread, onions, legumes, herbs, and animal fats/oils

There is no archaeological evidence that ancient Nile Egyptians systematically transplanted fish or fish eggs to new lakes or rivers as a deliberate form of stock management in the Neolithic periods

The nile in egypt, attested to carp, eel, bichir, and many smaller species and breeds of fish. Check it out with some more neolithic architecture today.

Bibliography: Masqueradetheheart. Fishing in Ancient Egypt. Egypt Museum. https://egypt-museum.com/fishing/

Fish of the Nile – collection. (n.d.). Haifa Museums – Six Museums in One Frame. https://www.nmm.org.il/eng/Collection/Archaeology/2448

Pierre M. Vermeersch, Wim Van Neer, Nile behaviour and Late Palaeolithic humans in Upper Egypt during the Late Pleistocene,
Quaternary Science Reviews, Volume 130, 2015, Pages 155-167, ISSN 0277-3791, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.03.025.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379115001328)

Linseele V, Van Neer W, Thys S, Phillipps R, Cappers R, Wendrich W, Holdaway S. New archaeozoological data from the Fayum “Neolithic” with a critical assessment of the evidence for early stock keeping in Egypt. PLoS One. 2014 Oct 13;9(10):e108517. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108517. PMID: 25310283; PMCID: PMC4195595.