Are you ready to bring in the big haul? Each month of Animal Crossing: New Horizons sees a new set of fish and bugs leaving the world for several months. If you want to fill out your Critterpedia, you should definitely make sure to grab them all before the month is up. Right now we’re looking at the Animal Crossing: New Horizons March fish and bug list so you know all the critterpedia creatures that are leaving Animal Crossing: New Horizons this month.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons March fish and bug list

© Nintendo
We’ve only just started our journey, but as the month comes to a close we’re already losing some bugs and fish for March in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Several of them won’t be back for many, many months, so to help you add them all to your catalogue, we’ve listed all the fish and bugs leaving in March for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, as well as where and when you can catch them. For clarification, this list is written from the perspective of northern hemisphere islands. If you're after Southern Hemispherre, scroll down to the bottom.
Fish leaving in March
Bitterling
- When: All Day
- Where: River
- Shadow Size: Small
- Value: 900 Bells
- Returns: November
Football Fish
- When: 4PM - 9AM
- Where: Ocean
- Shadow Size: Medium
- Value: 2,500 Bells
- Returns: November
Sea Butterfly
- When: All Day
- Where: Ocean
- Shadow Size: Tiny
- Value: 1,000 Bells
- Returns: December

© Nintendo
Stringfish
- When: 4PM - 9AM
- Where: River, Elevated Heights (requires a Ladder to reach higher cliff levels)
- Shadow Size: Large
- Value: 15,000 Bells
- Returns: December
Sturgeon
- When: All Day
- Where: River Mouth (where the river meets the ocean)
- Shadow Size: Massive
- Value: 10,000 Bells
- Returns: September
Yellow Perch
- When: All Day
- Where: River
- Shadow Size: Medium
- Value: 300 Bells
- Returns: October
Bugs leaving in March

© Nintendo
Emperor Butterfly
- When: 5PM - 8AM
- Where: Everywhere (will land on flowers)
- Value: 4,000 Bells
- Returns: June
So there are all the fish and bugs that’ll be heading out come April. Remember, the stringfish needs you to be at an elevated height, fishing at a river on one of the raised parts of your island. Make sure to craft plenty of bait before you start fishing. Caught them all already? You can check out our full fish list for more creatures, and find out what they’re all worth at the store.
Southern Hemisphere March bug and fish list
Chosen to keep your island in the southern hemisphere? Not a problem! Here are the fish and bugs leaving in March for you. Be warned, there are a lot of them!
Southern Hemisphere March Fish
- Arapaima: River - 10,000 bells, normal shadow, 4pm - 9am, December - March
- Arowana: River - 10,000 bells, big shadow, 4pm - 9am, December - March
- Butterfly fish: Ocean - 1,000 bells, small shadow, all day, December - March
- Crawfish: Pond - 200 bells, normal shadow, all day, October - March
- Clownfish: Ocean - 650 bells, smallest shadow, all day, October - March
- Dorado: River -15,000 bells, bigger shadow, 4am - 9pm, December - March
- Great White Shark: Ocean - 15,000 bells, largest shadow (with a dorsal fin), 4pm - 9am, December - March
- Hammerhead Shark: Ocean - 8,000 bells, largest shadow (with a dorsal fin), 4pm - 9am, December - March
- King Salmon: River Mouth - 1,600 bells, biggest shadow, all day, March only
- Nibble Fish: River - 1,500 bells, small shadow, 9am - 4pm, November - March
- Ocean Sunfish: Ocean - 4,000 bells, largest shadow (with a dorsal fin), 4am - 9pm, January - March
- Piranha: River -2,500 bells, small shadow, 9pm-4am and 9am-4pm, December - March
- Puffer Fish: Ocean - 250 bells, normal shadow, all day, January - March
- Saddled Bichir: River - 4,000 bells, big shadow, 9pm - 4am, December - March
- Salmon: River Mouth - 700 bells, big shadow, all day, March only
- Saw Shark: Ocean - 12,000 bells, largest shadow (with a dorsal fin), 4pm - 9am, December - March
- Soft-shelled turtle: River - 3,750 bells, normal shadow, 4pm - 9am, February - March
- Sweetfish: River - 900 bells, normal shadow, all day, January - March
- Suckerfish: Ocean - 1,500 bells, largest shadow (with a dorsal fin), all day, December - March
- Surgeonfish: Ocean - 1,000 bells, small shadow, all day, October - March
- Whale Shark: Ocean - 13,000 bells, largest shadow (with a dorsal fin), all day, December - March

© Nintendo
Southern Hemisphere March bugs
- Agrias Butterfly: Flying - 3,000 bells, 8am - 5pm, November - March
- Atlas Moth: Trees - 3,000 bells, 7pm - 4am, October - March
- Diving Beetle: Ponds/Rivers - 800 bells, 8am - 7pm, November - March
- Earth-boring Dung Beetle: Ground - 300 bells, All day, January - March
- Emperor Butterfly: Flying - 4,000 bells, 5pm - 8am, December-March, June-September
- Giant Water Bug: Ponds/Rivers - 2,000 bells, 7pm - 8am, October - March
- Goliath Beetle: Trees - 8,000 bells, 5pm - 8am, December - March
- Grasshopper: Ground - 160 bells, 8am - 5pm, January - March
- Great Purple Empror: Flying - 7pm, December - March
- Madagascan Sunset Moth: Flying - 2,500 bells, 8am - 4pm, October - March
- Mosquito: Flying - 130 bells, 5pm - 4am, December - March
- Pondskater: Ponds - 130 bells, 8am - 7pm, November - March
- Queen Alexandra's Birdwing: Flying - 4,000 bells, 8am - 5pm, November - March
- Rainbow Stag: Trees - 6,000 bells, 7pm - 8am, December - March
- Raja Brooke's Birdwing: Flying - 2,500 bells, 8am - 5pm, November - March, June - August
- Rosalia Batesi Beetle: Tree Stumps - 3,000 bells, All Day, November - March
- Walker Cicada: Trees - 400 bells, 8am - 5pm, February - March
- Walking Leaf: Ground (near trees) - 600 bells, All Day, January - March
That’s a complete March fish and bug list for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, so get yourself some bait, fishing rod and net so you can get catching them all!