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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

Rivers and lakes

Fresh water: rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. 581 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
🇹🇿 Tanzania and 2 moreSingida tilapia A cichlid fish native to the Lake Victoria basin in East Africa.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇪🇬 Egypt and 4 moreNile tilapia A hardy cichlid farmed globally for food.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreSea lamprey A jawless, parasitic fish native to the Northern Hemisphere that attacks other fish.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreRohu A large silver carp from South Asian rivers, farmed for food and prized as a game fish.Carp · Rivers and lakes WorldNile perch Large freshwater predator native to Africa, now invasive in many lakes.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇿🇦 South Africa and 4 moreAfrican sharptooth catfish Large airbreathing catfish farmed across Africa and AsiaCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreSockeye salmon Anadromous Pacific salmon known for red spawning colour and zooplankton diet.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1792 🇯🇵 Japan and 2 moreAyu sweetfish Small amphidromous fish prized for its sweet flesh in East Asia.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1846 Indian threadfin 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 2 moreIndian threadfin A large coastal fish with distinctive long fin filaments.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1804 🇹🇭 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 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreCommon snowtrout A cold-water cyprinid from Himalayan rivers.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 Russia and 2 moreMasu salmon Pacific salmonid native to East Asian coasts and rivers.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreYellow perch Freshwater fish native to North America with distinctive vertical bars.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1814 WorldMilk shark A small coastal requiem shark found in tropical waters worldwide.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1837 🇺🇸 United StatesCutthroat trout A group of Pacific trout native to western North America, known for red throat markings.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1793 🇺🇸 United StatesApache trout A golden-spotted trout native to Arizona highlands.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United StatesCisco Small salmonid fish of northern lakes and seasSalmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇷 Iran and 1 moreShabout A large freshwater carp native to the Tigris-Euphrates basin in Western Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 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 WorldWeather loach Small freshwater fish active before stormsOther · Rivers and lakes 🇭🇳 Honduras and 3 moreJaguar cichlid Large predatory cichlid from Central American lakesCichlid · 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 Southeast AsiaKissing gourami A Southeast Asian freshwater fish known for its unique mouth-to-mouth sparring behaviour.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 RussiaSterlet A small Eurasian sturgeon found in rivers flowing to the Black, Azov, and Caspian seas.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreLake sturgeon A large, long-lived freshwater fish native to North America.Ancient · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 AustraliaLungfish Ancient freshwater fish that breathe air and have lobed fins.Ancient · 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 States and 1 moreShortnose sturgeon A small, endangered North American sturgeon with a short snout.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1818 🇷🇺 Russia and 2 moreKaluga A massive semi-anadromous sturgeon from the Amur River basin hunted for caviar.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1872 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreGolden dorado A large predatory freshwater fish native to South America known for its golden colour.Other · 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 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreLongnose gar A primitive ray-finned fish with a long snout and armored scales found in North America.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇺🇸 United StatesPallid sturgeon An endangered North American sturgeon species native to the Missouri and Mississippi river basins.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1905 🇲🇽 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 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreGar Ancient armored fish with lung-like swim bladders found in North American waters.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇧🇯 Benin and 4 moreSaddled bichir A large African freshwater fish with primitive lungs and multiple dorsal finlets.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1845 WorldLamprey Jawless fish with a sucking mouth found in temperate waters worldwide.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 🇳🇬 NigeriaGymnarchus African electric fish with a long dorsal fin used for swimming and sensing prey.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1829 🇺🇬 Uganda and 2 moreSilver cyprinid A small pelagic fish from Lake Victoria that supports regional food security.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇬 UgandaNangnang fish A small freshwater fish from the Nile basin, prized as a fried snack in Uganda.Other · 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 🇰🇪 Kenya and 4 moreRipon barbel A large freshwater cyprinid from East African lakes and rivers.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1900 🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreLargemouth bass A large freshwater predator native to North America, prized by anglers and invasive in many regions.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1802 🇺🇸 United StatesSpotted bass A North American freshwater fish known for dark spots below its lateral line.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United StatesGuadalupe bass A rare Texas endemic black bass prized by anglers for its fighting spirit.Other · Rivers and lakes
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