Least concern
Widespread and not thought to be at risk. 181 fish on EveryFish so far.
Least Concern is the IUCN Red List category for species that have been assessed and are not close to qualifying as threatened. They are usually widespread and abundant. Many important food fish are in this category, including hilsa, rohu, skipjack tuna and Atlantic herring. Least Concern describes a species as a whole, worldwide; it does not mean that every local stock is healthy or well managed.
Common, not always safe
A fish can be Least Concern globally while particular populations are in trouble. Hilsa is widespread across the Bay of Bengal and its rivers, but its runs up the Ganges collapsed after the Farakka Barrage. Rohu and catla are abundant because they are farmed in huge numbers, while wild river stocks have declined. Herring stocks have crashed and recovered in different seas over the past century. Fisheries are managed stock by stock, so local assessments matter as much as the global category.
Back from the brink
Some fish have moved into Least Concern after recovering. The Atlantic bluefin tuna was listed as Endangered in 2011 after decades of overfishing; strict quotas set by the Atlantic tuna commission, ICCAT, and better enforcement let stocks recover, and in 2021 it was reassessed as Least Concern. Yellowfin tuna was moved from Near Threatened to Least Concern in the same update, though scientists warn that yellowfin in the Indian Ocean is still overfished.
Famous least concern fish
Still to be written: Ilish, Catla, Indian mackerel, Skipjack tuna, Atlantic bluefin tuna, Yellowfin tuna, Atlantic herring.
Further reading
🇵🇭 Philippines and 4 moreMilkfish
The sole living species of the family Chanidae, found across the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves
🇦🇺 Australia and 1 moreAustralian ghostshark
A cartilaginous fish native to southern Australia and New Zealand waters.Other · Coasts and shelves
WorldBlue-spotted grouper
A widely distributed Indo-Pacific grouper known for its blue spots and invasive impact in Hawaii.Other · Coasts and shelves
WorldBluehead wrasse
A small Atlantic reef fish known for changing sex and colour.Other · Coral reefs
WorldClown triggerfish
A striking black and white reef fish with a locking dorsal spine.Other · Coral reefs · 1801
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreGar
Ancient armored fish with lung-like swim bladders found in North American waters.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1758
WorldThree-spined stickleback
Small northern fish known for rapid evolution and complex breeding.Other · Rivers and lakes
OceaniaPajama Cardinalfish
Small, spotted reef fish known for male mouthbrooding.Other · Coral reefs
WorldAnglerfish
Ray-finned fish using a modified dorsal fin ray as a lure to catch prey.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1829
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreLongfin smelt
Small anadromous fish of the North Pacific coastOther · Rivers and lakes
WorldPorcupinefish
Spiny marine fish that inflate into a defensive sphere to deter predators.Other · Coasts and shelves
WorldGoatfish
Benthic fish with chin barbels found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758
WorldBigeye trevally
A large marine fish found in tropical oceans, known for its nocturnal hunting and distinctive dark dorsal fin.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1825
WorldOrnate ghost pipefish
A camouflaged reef fish with variable colours and female brood pouches.Other · Coral reefs
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreReef stonefish
A highly venomous marine fish known for its rock-like camouflage and potent toxins.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1801
🇺🇸 United StatesSpotted ratfish
Cartilaginous fish with a rat-like tail and venomous spineOther · Coasts and shelves
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Rohu: Wiki Farazi, CC0, source
- Milkfish: Wiki Farazi, CC0, source
- Australian ghostshark: fir0002 flagstaffotos [at] gmail.com Canon 20D + Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8, GFDL 1.2, source
- Blue-spotted grouper: Jan Ebr, CC BY 4.0, source
- Bluehead wrasse: (c) JamesLaFontaine, some rights reserved (CC BY), CC BY 4.0, source
- Clown triggerfish: Photo by and (C)2007 Derek Ramsey ( Ram-Man ), CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Gar: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Three-spined stickleback: Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Pajama Cardinalfish: Totti, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Anglerfish: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Longfin smelt: Bill Stagnaro, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Porcupinefish: jon hanson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Goatfish: Albert Kok at Dutch Wikipedia ( Original text: albert kok ), Public domain, source
- Bigeye trevally: Jens Petersen, CC BY 2.5, source
- Ornate ghost pipefish: Nhobgood Nick Hobgood, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Reef stonefish: Karelj, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chimaeras: Linda Snook / MBNMS, Public domain, source