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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. 130 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 AmazonGolden 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

Still to be written: Mekong giant catfish.

Further reading

GroupSharkRayCarpCatfishSalmonidHerringCodTunaPerch-likeCichlidReef fishEelFlatfishLivebearerAncientOther
UseFood fishFarmedAquarium fishSport fishingCulture and faithVenomous or dangerousInvasiveScience and research
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy size
🇺🇸 United StatesWhite sucker A common North American freshwater cypriniform fish with fleshy lips used for bottom feeding.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1803 🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreBigmouth buffalo A long-lived North American freshwater fish known for its terminal mouth and exceptional lifespan.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United StatesDelta smelt A tiny, endangered fish native to California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1963 Latin America and the CaribbeanLeporinus South American freshwater fish genus in the Anostomidae familyOther · Rivers and lakes 🇬🇧 United KingdomSchelly Rare whitefish of the English Lake DistrictSalmonid · Rivers and lakes Tecopa pupfish 🇺🇸 United StatesTecopa pupfish Extinct subspecies of killifish from California hot springs.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1948 🇺🇸 United StatesAmerican paddlefish Ancient freshwater fish with a sensory snout and filter-feeding habits.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1792 Northern cavefish 🇺🇸 United StatesNorthern cavefish A blind fish living in caves of Kentucky and IndianaOther · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 Russia and 1 moreBaikal black grayling A Siberian freshwater salmonid found in Lake Baikal and surrounding river systems.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 RussiaComephorus Two species of pelagic sculpins endemic to Lake Baikal in Russia.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1800 🇨🇳 China and 4 moreChinese hooksnout carp A small freshwater minnow native to East and Southeast Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 3 moreSiamese tigerfish A critically endangered freshwater perch from Indochina.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1998 🇨🇺 CubaCuban gar Large tropical freshwater predator native to western Cuba.Other · 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 🇷🇺 RussiaCaspian roach A brackish water fish from the Caspian Sea region, widely consumed as a dried snack.Carp · Estuaries and mangroves WorldSnakehead Elongated freshwater predators with air-breathing organs found in Asia and Africa.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreArapaima Large freshwater fish from the Amazon basin known for its size and air-breathing ability.Ancient · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 2 morePupfish Small killifish known for surviving in extreme isolated waters.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇹 Austria and 4 moreStreber A small freshwater perch found in fast-flowing European rivers.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreSabre carp A silvery surface feeder from Eastern Europe and Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇬🇧 United KingdomGwyniad Rare whitefish found only in one Welsh lakeSalmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1848 🇩🇪 Germany and 4 moreZingel A fast-water perch from southeastern Europe.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1766 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreFerox trout Large predatory trout native to deep glacial lakes in Britain and Ireland.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1835 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreZebrafish Small striped fish from South Asia kept in aquariums and labsCarp · Rivers and lakes 🇸🇳 Senegal and 3 moreWest African lungfish Air-breathing freshwater fish from AfricaAncient · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreSiberian sturgeon Large freshwater sturgeon native to Siberian riversAncient · Rivers and lakes WorldFeatherbacks and knifefishes Freshwater bony-tongued fishes with long anal finsOther · Rivers and lakes WorldThree-spined stickleback Small northern fish known for rapid evolution and complex breeding.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldNinespine stickleback Small freshwater fish with variable spines found across the Northern Hemisphere.Other · Rivers and lakes EuropeEuropean bullhead Small freshwater sculpin found in European rivers and streams.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 🇹🇭 Thailand and 2 moreSiamese mud carp Freshwater cyprinid native to Mekong and Chao Phraya riversCarp · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreMandarin fish Freshwater predatory perch native to East AsiaPerch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1855 Titicaca orestias 🇵🇪 Peru and 1 moreTiticaca orestias Largest killifish of Lake Titicaca, likely extinct.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes 🇸🇳 Senegal and 3 moreSenegal bichir Ancient African fish that breathes air and walks on landAncient · Rivers and lakes WorldAphyosemion A large genus of small African killifish kept in home aquariums.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreHoplias aimara A large freshwater predator from South America known for its size and mercury accumulation.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1846 WorldMormyrus A genus of weakly electric freshwater fish known for their elongated snouts.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇦🇴 Angola and 3 moreMarbled lungfish African lungfish with the largest known animal genome, found in East and Central Africa.Ancient · 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 🇨🇳 ChinaChinese paddlefish A giant freshwater predator from China that is now extinct.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1862 🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreGoldeye A silver freshwater fish known for its smoked culinary form.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 AustraliaAustralian lungfish Ancient air-breathing fish endemic to Queensland rivers, known for its longevity and living fossil status.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1871 🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreLake chub A small cold-water minnow native to Canada and the northern US.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇹 Austria and 4 moreEuropean mudminnow Small freshwater fish from Central and Eastern EuropeOther · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreGreen sturgeon A large anadromous fish native to the northern Pacific Ocean.Shark · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 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 East AsiaAmur pike A spotted freshwater pike native to east Asia.Other · Rivers and lakes
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