Goby

goby any of numerous small fish of the family Gobiidae, whose diminutive representatives are found all round the world, in inshore waters, tidal pools, estuaries, etc. They are mostly of blotchy coloration and can change patterns and shades to accord with their surroundings, a factor which has helped to make them in terms of survival a highly successful family.

In the Mediterranean and adjacent waters of the Atlantic there are about 50 species, of which a few attain a size which makes them worth eating. An example is Gobius niger, the black goby, which may be 15 cm (6") long and which is not uncommon in the markets of Italy and Turkey; and another is G. cobitis, larger still. Discrimination among and appreciation of gobies is greater in Turkey than in any other European country.