Least concern
Widespread and not thought to be at risk. 58 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
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreSea lamprey
A jawless, parasitic fish native to the Northern Hemisphere that attacks other fish.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1758
🇲🇽 Mexico and 2 moreTropical gar
A small freshwater predator from Central America known for its armored scales and air-breathing ability.Ancient · Rivers and lakes
🇳🇬 NigeriaGymnarchus
African electric fish with a long dorsal fin used for swimming and sensing prey.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1829
🇸🇷 Suriname and 2 moreRedeye piranha
A large freshwater fish from South America with a rhombus-shaped body and red eyes.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1766
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreMexican tetra
A freshwater characin with surface and blind cave forms, studied for evolutionary biology.Other · Rivers and lakes
WorldThree-spined stickleback
Small northern fish known for rapid evolution and complex breeding.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreElectric eel
Neotropical freshwater fish capable of generating powerful electric shocks for hunting and defence.Eel · Rivers and lakes · 1766
🇦🇺 AustraliaAustralian lungfish
Ancient air-breathing fish endemic to Queensland rivers, known for its longevity and living fossil status.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1871
🇷🇺 Russia and 1 moreRuffe
A small, aggressive freshwater fish native to Eurasia that has become a major invasive pest in North America.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1758
WorldBarreleye
Deep-sea fish with tubular eyes and a light-producing anusOther · Open ocean
WorldHumpback anglerfish
Deep-sea black seadevil with a glowing lureOther · Open ocean · 1863
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreAtlantic hagfish
A jawless marine scavenger known for its slime and lack of true eyes.Ancient · Deep sea · 1758
WorldTripod fish
Deep-sea fish that stands on elongated finsOther · Open ocean
🇺🇸 United StatesLeast killifish
A tiny North American fish that gives birth to live young and measures just two centimetres long.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreMosquitofish
Small North American fish introduced globally for mosquito control.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
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Sea lamprey: Fernando Losada Rodríguez, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rohu: Wiki Farazi, CC0, source
- Lungfish: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Tropical gar: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gymnarchus: Wiki-Harfus ; modified by Wildfeuer, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Redeye piranha: Torox, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mexican tetra: User:Haplochromis, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Three-spined stickleback: Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Electric eel: Steven G. Johnson, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ruffe: Tiit Hunt, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Barreleye: S. Johnsen (Duke Uni.) for courtesy of photos, J. Hlidberg for courtes, CC BY 4.0, source
- Humpback anglerfish: Emőke Dénes, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tripod fish: null, CC BY 4.0, source
- Least killifish: Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, source
- Mosquitofish: NOZO, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Japanese rice fish: NOZO, CC BY 3.0, source
- Largescale four-eyes: Michael Gäbler, CC BY 3.0, source