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SpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliamentSpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliament
EveryFish

Least concern

Widespread and not thought to be at risk. 286 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

IlishLeast Concern globally, though local runs have fallenRohuAbundant thanks to farmingCatlaWidespread in farms and riversIndian mackerelA common schooling fish of the Indo-PacificSkipjack tunaThe most caught tunaAtlantic bluefin tunaMoved from Endangered to Least Concern in 2021Yellowfin tunaMoved to Least Concern in 2021Atlantic herringWidespread in the North Atlantic

Further reading

GroupSharkRayCarpCatfishSalmonidHerringCodTunaPerch-likeCichlidReef fishEelFlatfishLivebearerAncientOther
WaterRivers and lakesEstuaries and mangrovesCoasts and shelvesCoral reefsOpen oceanDeep seaPolar and cold seasCaves and springsBetween sea and river
UseFood fishFarmedAquarium fishSport fishingCulture and faithVenomous or dangerousInvasiveScience and research
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy size
🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo and 3 moreSix-banded distichodus A striped African freshwater fish popular in aquariums.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇴 Colombia and 2 moreNeon tetra A small, brightly coloured freshwater fish popular in home aquariums.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1936 🇲🇾 Malaysia and 1 moreHarlequin rasbora A small, colourful freshwater fish popular in home aquariums for its distinctive black body marking.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreRedtail catfish A large South American catfish known for its red tail and popularity in the aquarium trade.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇭🇳 Honduras and 3 moreJaguar cichlid Large predatory cichlid from Central American lakesCichlid · Rivers and lakes Southeast AsiaKissing gourami A Southeast Asian freshwater fish known for its unique mouth-to-mouth sparring behaviour.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇯 Benin and 4 moreSaddled bichir A large African freshwater fish with primitive lungs and multiple dorsal finlets.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1845 🇧🇼 Botswana and 1 moreAfrican tigerfish Predatory freshwater fish known for sharp teeth and leaping hunting behaviour.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1861 🇸🇳 SenegalNile bichir An ancient African fish with lungs and armour-like scales.Ancient · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaSynodontis A large African genus of spotted catfish known for squeaking sounds and belly-up swimming.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreGreen sunfish A small, aggressive freshwater fish native to North America, known for its blue-green colour and invasive potential in nPerch-like · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreMexican tetra A freshwater characin with surface and blind cave forms, studied for evolutionary biology.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreWolf fish A predatory freshwater ray-finned fish found across Central and South America.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇴 Angola and 3 moreAtlantic mudskipper Semi-aquatic goby that walks on mudflats in West Africa.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1766 🇳🇬 NigeriaHingemouth Small African fish with a unique proboscis-like mouthOther · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilBanded leporinus A striped freshwater fish from the Amazon kept in home tanks and occasionally caught by anglers.Other · Rivers and lakes Southeast AsiaGiant snakehead A large freshwater predator from Southeast Asia known for air breathing and invasive potential.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreBluegill A common North American sunfish known for its blue gill covers and popularity with anglers.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1854 🇧🇮 Burundi and 3 moreGiant cichlid The largest living cichlid species, native to Lake Tanganyika in Africa.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1899 🇺🇸 United StatesLeast killifish A tiny North American fish that gives birth to live young and measures just two centimetres long.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes 🇯🇵 JapanJapanese rice fish Small freshwater fish native to Japan and a key model organism.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreLargescale four-eyes Surface-dwelling fish with split eyes for dual vision.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreRed-bellied piranha A widespread South American freshwater fish known for its omnivorous diet and shoaling behavior.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreRed-bellied Pacu A large South American freshwater fish related to piranhas, farmed for food and kept in aquariums.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇰🇭 Cambodia and 4 moreGyrinocheilus aymonieri A Southeast Asian freshwater fish known for its suction-like mouth and role in the aquarium trade.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇯🇵 JapanRanchu A hooded goldfish breed from Japan with no dorsal fin and a rounded body.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilBlack arowana A South American freshwater fish known for its dark colour and jumping hunting style.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreSilver arowana Large South American freshwater predator with bone tongue.Other · Rivers and lakes Fire eel 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreFire eel Large spiny eel with red markings from Southeast AsiaOther · Rivers and lakes OceaniaBanded archerfish A silvery fish that spits water jets to catch prey.Perch-like · Estuaries and mangroves · 1767 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the CongoCongo tetra A colourful African freshwater fish kept in home aquaria for its bright scales and feathery tail.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1899 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreX-ray tetra Small translucent South American freshwater fish popular in home aquariums.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1894 🇨🇴 ColombiaEmperor tetra A small freshwater fish from Colombia, prized in the aquarium trade for its striking colours and distinct sexual dimorphOther · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreMarbled hatchetfish A small South American freshwater fish kept in aquariums for its unique shape and surface-dwelling habits.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1864 🇰🇭 Cambodia and 3 moreMoonlight gourami A small, silvery labyrinth fish native to Southeast Asian rivers and swamps.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldPeters's elephantnose fish A West African freshwater fish that navigates using weak electric pulses.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldDamselfish Small marine fish known for aggressive territorial behaviour and reef farming.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves WorldMoray eel A global family of elongated marine eels known for their powerful jaws and patterned skin.Eel · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSailfin molly Small livebearing fish with a large dorsal fin in males.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1821 🇧🇷 Brazil and 2 moreCardinal tetra Small freshwater fish with a bright red belly and iridescent blue stripe.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1956 🇧🇷 BrazilBlack neon tetra Small freshwater characin with white and black stripes, popular in the aquarium trade.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇷 Costa Rica and 1 moreMidas cichlid Large aggressive cichlid from Central AmericaCichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaJewel cichlid Brightly colored African cichlids kept in aquariums for their vivid breeding colours and parental care.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilPterophyllum A genus of laterally compressed freshwater cichlids known as angelfish.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1824 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreSpeckled peacock bass A large South American cichlid prized for sport and food.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldHypostomus plecostomus A tropical armored catfish from South America, kept in aquariums for algae control.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreAmazon sailfin catfish A large freshwater armored catfish from South America, often kept in aquariums and known as an invasive pest elsewhere.Catfish · Rivers and lakes Latin America and the CaribbeanBanjo catfish A South American family of scaleless, benthic catfish with a distinctive banjo-shaped body.Catfish · Rivers and lakes
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The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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