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
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Rivers and lakes

Fresh water: rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. 473 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
🇲🇲 Myanmar and 1 moreCelestial pearl danio A tiny, brightly coloured freshwater fish from Myanmar and Thailand, popular in the aquarium trade.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 2006 🇮🇷 Iran and 3 moreMangar Large cyprinid fish of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1843 🇨🇳 ChinaPrzewalskii's naked carp Endemic cyprinid of China's Qinghai Lake basinCarp · Rivers and lakes Caspian kutum 🇮🇷 Iran and 2 moreCaspian kutum A prized ray-finned fish from the Caspian Sea.Carp · Estuaries and mangroves · 1901 🇮🇶 IraqBinni A plant-eating barbel from the Tigris and Euphrates marshes.Carp · Rivers and lakes EuropeCommon nase A migratory European cyprinid with orange tail fins.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreBarbel Carp-like freshwater fish with distinctive mouth barbelsCarp · Rivers and lakes EuropeAsp A predatory freshwater fish native to Europe and western Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreFathead minnow Small North American freshwater fish used as bait and in toxicity studies.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreGolden shiner A North American minnow used widely as bait and in pond culture.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreColorado pikeminnow A large native river fish of the Colorado Basin, once abundant but now critically endangered.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇫🇷 FranceCommon bleak A small, silvery freshwater fish found across Europe and Western Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇰🇭 Cambodia and 2 moreGiant barb The largest cyprinid fish, native to major river basins in Southeast Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 2 moreEmpurau A large Southeast Asian river fish prized for its high market value.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreTinfoil barb A large Southeast Asian freshwater fish known for its red fins and silvery body.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1853 🇹🇭 Thailand and 1 moreHampala barb Large predatory cyprinid from Southeast Asian rivers.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreJava barb A silvery freshwater fish farmed across Southeast Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreJullien's golden carp Endangered Southeast Asian river fish with five stripesCarp · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreKokanee salmon A landlocked freshwater form of the sockeye salmon found in North America and Japan.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 RussiaInconnu A large anadromous whitefish native to the Caspian Sea basin.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 RussiaOmul A whitefish species endemic to Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇲🇰 North Macedonia and 1 moreOhrid trout An endemic trout species found in Lake Ohrid and the Black Drin river.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇹 ItalyCarpione Endangered salmonid fish native to Lake Garda in Italy.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇲 ArmeniaSevan trout Extinct endemic salmonid of Lake Sevan in ArmeniaSalmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreSea trout Anadromous form of brown trout that migrates between sea and rivers.Salmonid · Between sea and river 🇯🇵 JapanBiwa trout Salmonid fish endemic to Lake Biwa in JapanSalmonid · Rivers and lakes · 2025 🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreOncorhynchus A genus of migratory fish native to the North Pacific basin.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 ChinaGoldfish A domesticated freshwater carp from China, kept worldwide as a pet and aquarium fish.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreBlack carp A large freshwater fish native to East Asia, known for eating snails and causing ecological issues in the US.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreMud carp Freshwater fish farmed in Asia since the Tang dynastyCarp · Rivers and lakes WorldTench Slippery freshwater fish with olive-green skin and red eyes.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇦🇺 AustraliaCommon roach A widespread European freshwater fish with red fins.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 morePebbly fish A silver characin from African rivers and lakes.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreBrook trout A colorful freshwater char native to eastern North America, known for its spotted pattern and status as a popular game fSalmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1814 🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreLake trout Large freshwater char of northern lakesSalmonid · Rivers and lakes WorldBrown trout A widespread salmonid with river, lake and sea forms.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreDolly Varden trout A cold-water char native to the North Pacific rim.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1792 🇺🇸 United StatesLahontan cutthroat trout Large native trout of the Lahontan Basin in Nevada and surrounding states.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United StatesCalifornia golden trout Native high-elevation trout of the Sierra NevadaSalmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1892 🇮🇹 Italy and 4 moreMarble trout Adriatic freshwater salmonid with marbled skinSalmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇹 Austria and 4 moreHuchen A large freshwater salmonid native to the Danube basin in Central and Eastern Europe.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 Russia and 3 moreSiberian taimen The world's largest salmonid, found in Eurasian rivers.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 Russia and 1 moreSakhalin taimen Large, ancient salmonid of Northeast AsiaSalmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreGrayling A cold-water salmonid fish native to European rivers, prized by anglers for its distinctive dorsal fin.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreArctic grayling A cold-water salmon relative with a large, colourful dorsal fin.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1776 WorldCowtail stingray Large Indo-Pacific stingray with a distinctive tail fold.Ray · Rivers and lakes WorldSawfish Large rays with a toothed rostrum found in tropical coastal waters.Ray · Coasts and shelves 🇿🇦 South Africa and 4 moreSmallmouth yellowfish A hardy sport fish native to South Africa's Orange-Vaal river system.Carp · Rivers and lakes
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