# Free fish 3D models for three.js (GLB, CC BY)
https://paprika3d.com/docs/models/fish
24 free fish for three.js from the 454 in the paprika3d asset library (CC BY), as meshopt GLB files: each with its author, license, credit line, triangles and file size, and the asset_search call that fetches it.
## What the library holds
The paprika3d asset library holds 454 fish among its 57,732 models. All of them are licensed CC BY 4.0, which asks you to credit the author wherever you use the model; each card below carries the credit line to paste. 1 are AI-generated, from Scenario's 3D Collection, and say so on their card.
438 of the 454 pass the library's quality checks: textured (or drawn in vertex colours, for a low-poly or voxel model), not flat, at most 15 MB, with a name, a description and a real-world height. Among those, the median model has 3,560 triangles, with the middle half between 3,220 and 8,860, and the median file is 0.23 MB, with nine in ten at most 0.6 MB. The median one stands 0.3 m tall at real size. 1 carry a texture of 2048 px, the library's largest; the rest are smaller. 53 are animated and 50 rigged. The most common styles are stylized (257), realistic (93) and toon (37).
## Fish in a three.js scene
Several fish on this page share one base mesh of 3,562 triangles, textured differently by different authors, which makes a varied school cheap: one geometry, several materials. A school is an `InstancedMesh` per fish type, each instance turned to face its direction of travel.
Fish swim with their bodies. Without a clip, bend the tail in the vertex shader: in `onBeforeCompile`, offset each vertex sideways by a sine of the time and its position along the body, weighted so the head barely moves. Of these, 53 are animated and 50 rigged, and those swim from their own clips.
Underwater, `scene.fog = new THREE.FogExp2(color, density)` with a blue-green colour and a matching background hides the tank's far wall. Whales and sharks here are full size, up to 3 m, beside fish of 0.15 m, so check each card before putting them in one tank.
## Fetch one and load it
With the paprika3d plugin in Claude Code, or its MCP server in any other agent, the agent searches the library in words or picks a model by the id on its card. `pick` downloads the file into the project's `assets/` folder (`public/assets/` under vite), adds the credit line to `assets/CREDITS.md` and answers with the code that loads it at real size. Give `cwd`, the project folder, as with every paprika3d tool.
```text
asset_search {"query": "fish", "cwd": "."}
asset_search {"pick": "f7e2e4858f2f438aa2832566220199f4", "cwd": "."}
```
Every file is a binary glTF (.glb) compressed with meshopt, so GLTFLoader needs the meshopt decoder that ships with three.js. The origin sits at the bottom centre of each model, so it stands on the floor where you place it:
```js
import * as THREE from 'three';
import { GLTFLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/GLTFLoader.js';
import { MeshoptDecoder } from 'three/addons/libs/meshopt_decoder.module.js';
const loader = new GLTFLoader().setMeshoptDecoder(MeshoptDecoder);
const gltf = await loader.loadAsync('assets/koi-fish-f7e2e4.glb');
scene.add(gltf.scene);
```
## 24 fish to start from
Chosen from the 438 that pass the checks: the ones agents picked most through `asset_search` first, then the ones whose name says what they are, then lighter files, with at most 2 per author. Each CC BY card ends with its credit line: paste it into your credits, as the license requires.
**[Koi Fish](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/f7e2e4858f2f438aa2832566220199f4)** by [lesliestowe](https://sketchfab.com/lesliestowe)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 632 triangles · 0.087 MB · stylized · 0.15 m tall · animated · rigged
`asset_search {"pick": "f7e2e4858f2f438aa2832566220199f4"}`
Credit: "Koi Fish" by lesliestowe (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/f7e2e4858f2f438aa2832566220199f4) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[Corydoras Catfish](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/0fa90781b34f49fb8a41b641ed6c3d50)** by [Christine](https://sketchfab.com/thimblefolio)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 7,300 triangles · 0.057 MB · stylized · 0.07 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "0fa90781b34f49fb8a41b641ed6c3d50"}`
Credit: "Corydoras Catfish" by Christine (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/0fa90781b34f49fb8a41b641ed6c3d50) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[Fish](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/b884195e2b1845a6985b39cb446bd15e)** by [klnguyen](https://sketchfab.com/klnguyen)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 3,562 triangles · 0.489 MB · stylized · 0.3 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "b884195e2b1845a6985b39cb446bd15e"}`
Credit: "Fish" by klnguyen (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/b884195e2b1845a6985b39cb446bd15e) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[Puffer Fish](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/f935708ddc81406084c6ace1fdb5470f)** by [vildurr](https://sketchfab.com/vildurr)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 6,452 triangles · 0.108 MB · stylized · 0.25 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "f935708ddc81406084c6ace1fdb5470f"}`
Credit: "Puffer Fish" by vildurr (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/f935708ddc81406084c6ace1fdb5470f) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[Gold Fish 3D Animated](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/c306e6d3f168490a8c9078345880540c)** by [Cubic Studio](https://sketchfab.com/Cubic_Studio)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 81,752 triangles · 2.99 MB · stylized · 0.1 m tall · animated
`asset_search {"pick": "c306e6d3f168490a8c9078345880540c"}`
Credit: "Gold Fish 3D Animated" by Cubic Studio (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/c306e6d3f168490a8c9078345880540c) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[dolphin](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/e70d92d72a004b2dad7fc31870ac494c)** by [kaikai216](https://sketchfab.com/kaikai216)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 914 triangles · 0.015 MB · toon · 0.5 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "e70d92d72a004b2dad7fc31870ac494c"}`
Credit: "dolphin" by kaikai216 (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/e70d92d72a004b2dad7fc31870ac494c) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[Tuna Fish](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/c5fad940863f47f784d792ca95e16b42)** by [GoldenZtuff](https://sketchfab.com/dhjwdwd)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 5,745 triangles · 0.344 MB · realistic · 0.4 m tall · animated · rigged
`asset_search {"pick": "c5fad940863f47f784d792ca95e16b42"}`
Credit: "Tuna Fish" by GoldenZtuff (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/c5fad940863f47f784d792ca95e16b42) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[stylized fish](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/da376461c81d42118acb0e315238b003)** by [Kavinda.Attanayake](https://sketchfab.com/Kavinda.Attanayake)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 25,719 triangles · 0.171 MB · stylized · 0.3 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "da376461c81d42118acb0e315238b003"}`
Credit: "stylized fish" by Kavinda.Attanayake (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/da376461c81d42118acb0e315238b003) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[Jelly Fish](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/07ea6d4e19b642ad95f53b680d2d0f55)** by [kand8998](https://sketchfab.com/KaitlynAndrus)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 3,694 triangles · 0.307 MB · stylized · 0.5 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "07ea6d4e19b642ad95f53b680d2d0f55"}`
Credit: "Jelly Fish" by kand8998 (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/07ea6d4e19b642ad95f53b680d2d0f55) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[Bass Fish](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/9bca3ba7d5554df3b52e6a39cfcfd2ca)** by [Libraries of Life](https://sketchfab.com/ExplorMorLabs)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 3,948 triangles · 0.083 MB · realistic · 0.4 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "9bca3ba7d5554df3b52e6a39cfcfd2ca"}`
Credit: "Bass Fish" by Libraries of Life (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/9bca3ba7d5554df3b52e6a39cfcfd2ca) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[3December Day 8 whale](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/56a9347b36a840ee91f04b964d621e88)** by [defnotdan](https://sketchfab.com/defnotdan)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 70,224 triangles · 0.692 MB · stylized · 3 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "56a9347b36a840ee91f04b964d621e88"}`
Credit: "3December Day 8 whale" by defnotdan (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/56a9347b36a840ee91f04b964d621e88) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[baleen whale](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/caa5c99d8de9423aab0cbf6e8317f115)** by [bsterling](https://sketchfab.com/bsterling)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 7,130 triangles · 0.132 MB · realistic · 3 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "caa5c99d8de9423aab0cbf6e8317f115"}`
Credit: "baleen whale" by bsterling (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/caa5c99d8de9423aab0cbf6e8317f115) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[little fish](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/90d502f557ce4f309e3af7c9c7bf526d)** by [sofiemhoffmann](https://sketchfab.com/sofiemhoffmann)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 2,526 triangles · 0.123 MB · stylized · 0.15 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "90d502f557ce4f309e3af7c9c7bf526d"}`
Credit: "little fish" by sofiemhoffmann (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/90d502f557ce4f309e3af7c9c7bf526d) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[Golden Fish With Stripes](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/2679b0ced0594f79b30916c99c20dc82)** by [Sp00kyMike](https://sketchfab.com/Sp00kyMike)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 3,562 triangles · 0.415 MB · stylized · 0.3 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "2679b0ced0594f79b30916c99c20dc82"}`
Credit: "Golden Fish With Stripes" by Sp00kyMike (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/2679b0ced0594f79b30916c99c20dc82) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[Shark](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/a80e6367072b499d859157d494c2a235)** by [Tan](https://sketchfab.com/Tan)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 3,328 triangles · 0.037 MB · stylized · 2 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "a80e6367072b499d859157d494c2a235"}`
Credit: "Shark" by Tan (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/a80e6367072b499d859157d494c2a235) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[Wooden fish decor](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/a03e33d06e5344d7baf216b934375eb8)** by [AnnaZangieva](https://sketchfab.com/AnnaZangieva)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 3,134 triangles · 0.259 MB · low-poly · 0.2 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "a03e33d06e5344d7baf216b934375eb8"}`
Credit: "Wooden fish decor" by AnnaZangieva (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/a03e33d06e5344d7baf216b934375eb8) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[Smallmouth Red Horse Fish](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/09b4c42be7f148c7996bc68347f719c3)** by [rkaundinya](https://sketchfab.com/rkaundinya)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 3,394 triangles · 0.067 MB · realistic · 0.3 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "09b4c42be7f148c7996bc68347f719c3"}`
Credit: "Smallmouth Red Horse Fish" by rkaundinya (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/09b4c42be7f148c7996bc68347f719c3) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[Fish Shapekeys](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/e6db77df67a04cf9b36cc7868c0d9c05)** by [Katy.McCarthy](https://sketchfab.com/Katy.McCarthy)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 634 triangles · 0.091 MB · realistic · 0.3 m tall · animated
`asset_search {"pick": "e6db77df67a04cf9b36cc7868c0d9c05"}`
Credit: "Fish Shapekeys" by Katy.McCarthy (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/e6db77df67a04cf9b36cc7868c0d9c05) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[Tropical Fish](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/6ccceb269b52436393306b1b3e8ab7d3)** by [TylerRipperger](https://sketchfab.com/TylerRipperger)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 3,562 triangles · 0.694 MB · stylized · 0.2 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "6ccceb269b52436393306b1b3e8ab7d3"}`
Credit: "Tropical Fish" by TylerRipperger (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/6ccceb269b52436393306b1b3e8ab7d3) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[3D Fish 8a](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/77ec579fd93f42578b01b16959c162a4)** by [Vulkinic](https://sketchfab.com/Vulkinic)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 3,562 triangles · 0.657 MB · realistic · 0.2 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "77ec579fd93f42578b01b16959c162a4"}`
Credit: "3D Fish 8a" by Vulkinic (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/77ec579fd93f42578b01b16959c162a4) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[Fish bubble Diorama](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/9b4066fd420d4e86bead76179170466a)** by [susannebataloff](https://sketchfab.com/susannebataloff)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 14,207 triangles · 0.729 MB · stylized · 0.3 m tall · animated · rigged
`asset_search {"pick": "9b4066fd420d4e86bead76179170466a"}`
Credit: "Fish bubble Diorama" by susannebataloff (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/9b4066fd420d4e86bead76179170466a) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[BaBe Shark](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/e326ea570f244baba96032405c3449d6)** by [viettextures](https://sketchfab.com/viettextures)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 22,166 triangles · 0.21 MB · stylized · 0.5 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "e326ea570f244baba96032405c3449d6"}`
Credit: "BaBe Shark" by viettextures (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/e326ea570f244baba96032405c3449d6) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[Queen Trigger Fish](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/32ea63905dac448dbc3378062da95641)** by [stargiraffeYT](https://sketchfab.com/stargiraffeYT)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 1,978 triangles · 0.37 MB · stylized · 0.2 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "32ea63905dac448dbc3378062da95641"}`
Credit: "Queen Trigger Fish" by stargiraffeYT (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/32ea63905dac448dbc3378062da95641) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
**[Vázquez's Fish](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/4fe31fd4cd5340e99d7312233e54414c)** by [jmvazquez](https://sketchfab.com/jmvazquez)
[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · 3,562 triangles · 0.427 MB · realistic · 0.15 m tall
`asset_search {"pick": "4fe31fd4cd5340e99d7312233e54414c"}`
Credit: "Vázquez's Fish" by jmvazquez (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/4fe31fd4cd5340e99d7312233e54414c) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Optimized for the web by paprika3D.
## Related
- [Free cat 3D models for three.js (GLB, CC BY)](https://paprika3d.com/docs/models/cats)
- [Free bird 3D models for three.js (GLB, CC BY and CC0)](https://paprika3d.com/docs/models/birds)
- [Free animated animal 3D models for three.js (GLB, CC BY)](https://paprika3d.com/docs/models/animated-animals)
- [Free animal 3D models for three.js (GLB, CC BY and CC0)](https://paprika3d.com/docs/models/animals)
Counts from the library's catalog on 2026-10-28. The models are their authors' work under the license on each card; paprika3d converted them for the web.
Updated 2026-10-28.