Significance Evidence for natal philopatry, the return of individuals to their natal location for reproduction, is scarce in marine fish populations despite being common in anadromous fishes. The proportion of individuals returning to natal sites is an important metric for estimating the effects of inbreeding and the potential for local adaptation to generate resilience to climate change. Here, we present the first multigenerational pedigree for a wild marine fish. We resolved the genealogical tree of families of orange clownfish Amphiprion percula spanning up to five generations, using data from a 10-year genetic survey of a population at Kimbe Island, Papua New Guinea. We found that longitudinal philopatry plays a significant role in driving population renewal of the orange clownfish.