Skin respiration - is carried out by diffusion through the body coverings of fish. It is characteristic of both fish with well-developed scales (carp, crucian carp, tench) and those with no scales or small scales that do not form a continuous cover (eel, catfish, eelgrass, puffer fish). Skin respiration in some fish species may be the main mechanism of gas exchange.

Skin respiration is essential for species that are sedentary in low-oxygen environments or leave the water body for short periods of time. In adult eels, cutaneous respiration becomes the main respiration and reaches 60% of the total gas exchange.

Cutaneous respiration is primary in relation to gill respiration. Embryos and larvae of fish carry out gas exchange with the environment through the covering tissues. The intensity of cutaneous respiration increases with increasing water temperature, because the increase in temperature increases metabolism and reduces the solubility of oxygen in water.