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RiversEl Niño seen disrupting fish migration patternsSpeciesScientists 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-NicolaRiversEl Niño seen disrupting fish migration patternsSpeciesScientists 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-Nicola
EveryFish

Rivers and lakes

Fresh water: rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. 635 fish on EveryFish so far.

Rivers, lakes, streams and ponds hold less than one per cent of the Earth's water, yet about half of all known fish species live in them. Fresh water is broken into separate basins, and fish that cannot cross between them evolve apart, which is why each river system and lake has its own species. The Amazon, Congo, Mekong and Ganges basins and the great lakes of Africa are the richest.

Life in fresh water

A freshwater fish is saltier inside than the water around it, so it must pump salt in through its gills and pass a lot of dilute urine. Freshwater habitats range from torrential Himalayan streams, where loaches cling to rocks, to warm, still swamps where air-breathing snakeheads, catfish and gouramis thrive. Many river fish time their spawning to floods: the Indian major carps spawn in the monsoon floodwaters, and Mekong fish move into flooded forests.

The most threatened fish

Freshwater fish are declining faster than sea fish. A 2021 report by conservation groups found that about a third of freshwater fish species are threatened with extinction and that 80 had already been declared extinct. Dams block migrations, water is drawn off for farms and cities, pollution and sand mining degrade rivers, and introduced species such as tilapia and African catfish compete with native fish. In India, the rivers of the Western Ghats and the North-East hold many endemic fish at risk.

Famous rivers and lakes fish

RohuA river carp of the Indian subcontinentArapaimaAn air-breathing giant of the AmazonMekong giant catfishOne of the largest freshwater fishGolden mahseerThe golden mahseer of Himalayan riversNile perchA huge predator of African lakesRed-bellied piranhaA schooling fish of South American riversZebrafishA small fish of South Asian streams

Further reading

GroupSharkRayCarpCatfishSalmonidHerringCodTunaPerch-likeCichlidReef fishEelFlatfishLivebearerAncientOther
UseFood fishFarmedAquarium fishSport fishingCulture and faithVenomous or dangerousInvasiveScience and research
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy size
🇺🇸 United StatesWhite bass A silver-striped freshwater fish native to North American rivers and lakes.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇷 Argentina and 4 moreArgentinian silverside A large, adaptable silverside native to South America.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 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 🇧🇷 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 🇨🇳 China and 4 moreThree spot gourami Hardy freshwater fish native to Southeast Asia with distinct side spots.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreFreshwater drum A hardy North American freshwater fish known for its grunting sound.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldLoach Small bottom-dwelling freshwater fish found across Eurasia and Africa.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 morePebbly fish A silver characin from African rivers and lakes.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldMullet A worldwide family of coastal ray-finned fish known for their distinct dorsal fins and historical culinary value.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇹🇷 Turkey and 4 moreAnchovy Small, oily forage fish found in oceans and some rivers worldwide.Herring · Coasts and shelves 🇹🇿 Tanzania and 2 moreSleek lates A freshwater perch found only in Lake Tanganyika, valued by local fisheries.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreEulachon A small anadromous smelt known for its high fat content and cultural importance in Pacific North America.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇩🇪 Germany and 4 moreEuropean smelt Small coastal fish with a cucumber scentOther · Rivers and lakes North AmericaAtlantic croaker Noisy marine fish of the western Atlantic coastOther · Coasts and shelves 🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreNorthern pike A large freshwater ambush predator found across the Northern Hemisphere.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇸🇳 Senegal and 4 moreAfrican arowana Plankton-eating bonytongue fish native to African riversOther · Rivers and lakes WorldNorthern whiting A widespread marine fish found in the Indo-Pacific, known for its silvery body and ability to bury itself in sand.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1775 Common ponyfish WorldCommon ponyfish A small, silvery marine fish found in Indo-Pacific coastal waters.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldBartail flathead A widespread marine flathead found across the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreClimbing perch Amphibious freshwater fish capable of breathing air and moving on land.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1792 WorldGuntea loach A small Asian loach that breathes through its gut to survive in poor water.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 2 moreDwarf gourami Small South Asian freshwater fish with vibrant colours.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldStriped mullet A widespread coastal food fish found in tropical and temperate seas.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldIndo-Pacific tarpon A migratory fish found in Indo-Pacific fresh and salt waters.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldJarbua terapon A striped Indo-Pacific fish found in seas and rivers.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1775 🇦🇫 Afghanistan and 4 moreSpotted snakehead Small carnivorous fish from South AsiaOther · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇷 Iran and 4 moreDwarf snakehead Small freshwater fish native to southern AsiaOther · Rivers and lakes WorldFourfinger threadfin A large marine threadfin found in the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇮🇳 IndiaGangetic leaffish A small Asian fish found in slow rivers and ponds across South Asia.Other · Rivers and lakes Lake Malawi sardine 🇲🇼 Malawi and 2 moreLake Malawi sardine Small freshwater fish endemic to Lake MalawiOther · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 moreGiant gourami A large freshwater fish from Southeast Asia valued for food and kept in aquaria.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 3 moreIndian featherback Large silvery knifefish from South Asian riversOther · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreGiant mudskipper Large amphibious goby found in Indo-Pacific mangroves.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreStriped bass Anadromous marine fish native to the Atlantic coast of North America, known for sport fishing and culinary use.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 Australia and 4 moreBarramundi A catadromous fish found across the Indo-West Pacific, valued for sport and aquaculture.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 4 moreParadise threadfin A yellow-finned ray-finned fish from South and Southeast Asia.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreAlligator gar A large, primitive freshwater fish native to North America known for its armored scales and air-breathing ability.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1803 🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreSmelt Small fish of the northern hemisphere known for spring runs and culinary traditions.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldPufferfish Toxic fish that inflate into spiny spheres for defence.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the CongoGoliath tigerfish A massive freshwater predator from the Congo River Basin known for its size and sharp teeth.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1898 🇨🇦 Canada and 3 moreSturgeon Ancient fish with bony plates and heterocercal tails, known for caviar.Ancient · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 China and 4 moreNorthern snakehead A freshwater fish from East Asia known for its air-breathing ability and invasive spread in North America.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1842 🇳🇿 New Zealand and 1 moreSprat Small forage fish of the genus Sprattus and related genera in the herring family.Herring · Coasts and shelves WorldBeluga sturgeon A massive anadromous fish from the Caspian and Black Sea basins, prized for its caviar.Other · Rivers and lakes
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