An accounting buzzword that describe when companies still have inventory on hand that is not being sold due to inattention or obsolescence. While not an official type of accounting treatment, the term is named after the LIFO and FIFO accounting methods.

Companies in a state of FISH accounting tend to have turnover rates that are lower than the industry average. Investors tend to avoid investing in companies that are in a "FISH-like" state, because having inventory lying about consumes expensive capital and storage space.