The SHT starfish and some other EP specific fish like from SN are included in the BG spawners (e.g., Ninja Starfish can be caught when fishing from the ocean rare spawner), and LN ones can be found in open water. When you inspect water, it should say "unknown" if you haven't caught all the types available in that location. You should be able to catch most fish without traveling, with the exception of the specific fish located in the WA and IP worlds.
I’ve used Traveler to collect every single type myself though, including the IP ones you can only initially catch while scuba diving. I also don’t consider putting down spawners if needed as “cheating” though, since you still have to actually catch them. :mrgreen:
My mermaid Calypso caught all of them due to traveling, and I kept her going until she had all perfect specimens as well. This is why I rarely do challenges, since I tend to “go overboard” when I do! :lol: Using perfect quality bait of the right type helped shorten the amount of time needed to complete the task.


No idea how she ended up with 102% though! :tongue: