Does CJ buy sea creatures in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?
No, CJ the beaver will not buy sea creatures from you in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. As the new host for the Fishing Tourney event, CJ purchases fish caught by players, but he does not deal with diving creatures at all.
Should you sell or donate sea creatures in ACNH?
When you pull up a sea creature while diving in the waters around your island, you have two options – either donate to the Museum or sell for Bells. Here is an in-depth look at the pros and cons of each choice:
Donating sea creatures
Donating your first catch of each sea creature to Blather‘s Museum is highly recommended by the ACHN gaming community. Filling out the Museum collection not only helps preserve your island‘s natural history, but also earns you rewards from the eccentric owl himself!
Based on data tracked by ACNH Travel Guide, here is what you get for sea creature donations:
| Sea Creatures Donated | Reward from Blathers |
|---|---|
| 1st donation | Thanks + sea creature poster |
| 10 | Wet suit (for longer dives) |
| 20 | Snorkel accessory |
| 40 (all) | Special Blathers thank-you |
Additionally, a complete sea creature exhibit will also prompt visiting NPC Nat to send a unique reward in the mail.
So while donating does mean losing out on potential Bells, the Museum rewards are worthwhile for most players.
Selling sea creatures
Of course, you can always sell any extra sea creatures for profits once you have the first one donated. This is an especially viable strategy in the early game when Bells are scarce.
Based on crowdsourced data, these are some of the most valuable sea creatures you can sell at Nook‘s Cranny:
| Sea Creature | Base Value |
|---|---|
| Gigas Giant Clam | 15,000 |
| Red King Crab | 8,000 |
| Snow Crab | 6,000 |
| Spiny Lobster | 5,000 |
As a comparison, common catches like sea stars or sea cucumbers will net you just 500 Bells each.
So while basic creatures may not earn much, the rarer and larger shadows can give your savings a healthy boost!
Will CJ or Flick buy sea creatures in ACNH?
As mentioned earlier, CJ will not buy sea creatures from you, only fish. This beaver exclusively hosts the island‘s Fishing Tourney and rates catches based on size.
Flick the chameleon is also not interested in sea creatures – he only handles bugs for his bug-catching challenges and collects models.
There is no visiting NPC that purchases sea creatures in New Horizons. This is one main difference from the systems for bugs and fish, where Flick and CJ do give bonus 1.5x prices.
So unfortunately, your only option is selling sea creatures directly through Nook‘s Cranny.
Complete sea creature list & prices guide
For easy reference, here is the full list of all 40 diving sea creatures currently available in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, including their sale value at Nook‘s Cranny:
| Sea Creature | Shadow | Speed | Sale Price | Times Available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seaweed | Small-medium | Slow | 600 Bells | 4 AM – 9 PM |
| Coral | Small | Slow | 500 Bells | All Day |
| Sea Grapes | Medium | Slow | 900 Bells | All Day |
| Sea Cucumber | Medium | Slow | 500 Bells | 4 AM – 9 PM |
| Sea Pig | Medium-large | Slow | 10,000 Bells | 4 AM – 9 PM |
| Sea Star | Large | Stationary | 500 Bells | 4 AM – 9 PM |
| Slate Pencil Urchin | Small | Slow | 2,000 Bells | 4 AM – 9 PM |
| Sea Anemone | Large | Stationary | 500 Bells | All Day |
| Moon Jellyfish | Large | Slow | 600 Bells | All Day |
Tables truncated for length
As you can see, speed and shadow size seems to broadly correlate with value – slower creatures with larger shadows are often worth more. Of course, rarity also plays a role!
Should you keep multiple of the same sea creature?
Some players wonder whether keeping duplicates of rare catches for CJ can be profitable down the line. However, this is likely not an optimal strategy.
Since CJ does not deal with sea creatures at all, your only option is selling extras to the Nooklings. Their regular purchase price will not change.
Additionally, sea creatures take up precious inventory slots during dives. You are better off just selling extras immediately and using space for new finds!
In conclusion, always donate the first sea creature but feel free to sell multiples for Bells. Avoid hoarding duplicates as they won‘t gain value over time.
Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments! Happy diving!
