>fried fish
>salmon patties
>tilapia
You've been missing out on a lot as a kid.
I think the youth aversion to fish is more of an inland issue than a coastal one, obviously; I've only known one non-vegetarian girl in my state who didn't like to eat fish, and everyone considered her a couple marbles short of a full set.
Outside of that, fish by itself is mostly bland with a few exceptions, so I suspect lot of people don't know it's more about the texture than anything else. Trouble is, you can only get the best quality texture by having it fresh out of the water, and preparing fresh fish is a multi-step process that too many can't be arsed to deal with. Even if you aren't doing the gutting yourself, you've got to walk up to a fish market, tell the shopkeeper exactly what you want, sometimes have to watch the guy take the flat end of a butcher knife to the fish's skull to knock it out cold, then you have to bring it home and cook it as soon as possible. etc. etc. Not to mention that accidentally swallowing a fish bone is a bitch to deal with.
So folks who aren't willing to involve themselves with that buy the packaged stuff, except not only has the meat broken down into something mealy and barely edible because it's obviously been around for a couple days (at least), but that oh-so distinctive fishy odor has begun to set in. You don't get that with fresh fish. That odor is a sign of decay. Kids don't realize that they are being fed stuff that would've been thrown into the trash.
If you're willing to explore beyond your current palette for fish, I suggest trying mackerel. It has an inherently stringent texture that takes longer to turn mushy and is also naturally salty, so right from the get-go it tastes far more interesting than even chicken meat. Sprinkle some salt, bake it in the oven, and add lemon juice when you're done. Just make sure the guts are properly cleaned out, because that stuff is quite bitter and off-putting to those who aren't used to it.
