Why do flying fish jump out of the water?

To escape predators. Like Asian Silver carp in the Mississippi watershed. Boat motors spook them. read more

Fish need oxygen to live, like humans do. At times, when the oxygen level reduces in the water, the fish might jump out to other small water bodies. Bad pH level is another cause. read more

Other fish that are known to jump out of their tanks include comet goldfish, killifish, (which tend to jump from water puddle to water puddle in the wild), and on the saltwater side, firefish are known jumpers. read more

Jumping is not risky behavior for fish in their natural habitat because they possess the ability to wriggle back to the water if they land on the shore. Jumping can be fatal for aquarium fish because they cannot get back into the tank if they land outside. read more