News
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

Rivers and lakes

Fresh water: rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. 553 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
🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreSiamese fighting fish A small, colorful freshwater fish native to Southeast Asia, famous as a pet and for male aggression.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1910 WorldSpotted scat A spotted, square-bodied fish from Indo-Pacific estuaries.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1766 Golden barb 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 3 moreGolden barb Small Asian cyprinid found in rivers and aquariumsCarp · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 AustraliaDwarf sawfish Smallest sawfish species, native to tropical Australia and New Guinea.Ray · Estuaries and mangroves EuropeCommon rudd A red-finned freshwater fish native to Europe and Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇲🇾 Malaysia and 1 moreHarlequin rasbora A small, colourful freshwater fish popular in home aquariums for its distinctive black body marking.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇲🇲 MyanmarOdessa barb Small colourful cyprinid from Myanmar popular in home aquariumsCarp · Rivers and lakes · 2008 🇮🇳 IndiaZebra loach A small, striped freshwater fish from India's Western Ghats, kept in aquariums and eaten locally.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1920 🇧🇷 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 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreBlue leopard corydoras Small peaceful armoured catfish from South AmericaCatfish · Rivers and lakes WorldWeather loach Small freshwater fish active before stormsOther · Rivers and lakes 🇬🇹 Guatemala and 4 moreConvict cichlid Striped Central American cichlid popular in home aquariumsCichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1867 🇭🇳 Honduras and 3 moreJaguar cichlid Large predatory cichlid from Central American lakesCichlid · Rivers and lakes Demasoni cichlid 🇹🇿 TanzaniaDemasoni cichlid Small striped cichlid from Lake MalawiCichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldAuratus cichlid Small, colourful cichlid from Lake MalawiCichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaPrincess cichlid A cooperative schooling cichlid from Lake Tanganyika.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 2 morePeacock bass Large predatory cichlids from South American rivers known for sport fishing and invasive impact.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇾 Paraguay and 3 moreBuenos Aires tetra Hardy silver freshwater fish with red fins and a black tail mark.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1907 🇹🇭 Thailand and 2 morePearl gourami Small Southeast Asian fish with a pearly patternOther · Rivers and lakes · 1852 🇻🇪 VenezuelaEndler's livebearer A small, colourful freshwater fish from Venezuela known for its bright patterns and ease of breeding in home aquariums.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 2005 Southeast AsiaBumblebee goby Small striped freshwater and brackish gobies from AsiaOther · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇩 IndonesiaRed rainbowfish A bright red freshwater fish from Lake Sentani, Indonesia.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1907 Southeast AsiaKissing gourami A Southeast Asian freshwater fish known for its unique mouth-to-mouth sparring behaviour.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldSilver dollar Round, silver tropical fish related to piranhas, popular in aquariums.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 China and 4 moreCelestial Eye goldfish Fancy goldfish with upward-facing telescope eyesOther · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreAtlantic sturgeon A large anadromous fish native to the western Atlantic Ocean and its river systems.Ancient · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United StatesShovelnose sturgeon Smallest North American freshwater sturgeon, known for its shovel-shaped snout and caviar production.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1820 🇧🇯 Benin and 4 moreSaddled bichir A large African freshwater fish with primitive lungs and multiple dorsal finlets.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1845 WorldBichir Ancient African ray-finned fish with multiple dorsal finlets and lung-like air breathing organs.Ancient · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇼 Botswana and 1 moreAfrican tigerfish Predatory freshwater fish known for sharp teeth and leaping hunting behaviour.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1861 WorldLeopard bush fish A freshwater labyrinth fish from the Congo River basin kept in home aquariums.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇸🇳 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 WorldHaplochromis A large ray-finned fish genus from East Africa known for rapid evolution and aquarium popularity.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1888 🇲🇼 Malawi and 2 moreMalawi eyebiter Predatory cichlid from Lake Malawi known for its narrow body and unique feeding habits.Cichlid · 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 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreTambaqui A large freshwater fish from South America known for its heavy body and seed-eating habits.Other · 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 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast and 4 moreAfrican pike characin West African freshwater predator with a pike-like shapeOther · Rivers and lakes · 1794 🇳🇬 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 🇹🇭 Thailand and 3 moreSiamese tigerfish A critically endangered freshwater perch from Indochina.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1998 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreArapaima Large freshwater fish from the Amazon basin known for its size and air-breathing ability.Ancient · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreZebrafish Small striped fish from South Asia kept in aquariums and labsCarp · Rivers and lakes WorldFeatherbacks and knifefishes Freshwater bony-tongued fishes with long anal finsOther · Rivers and lakes Southeast AsiaGiant snakehead A large freshwater predator from Southeast Asia known for air breathing and invasive potential.Other · Rivers and lakes
More fish

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: the fish of the day, new pages on EveryFish, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.