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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. 542 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
🇮🇳 India and 1 morePengba A ray-finned fish native to Manipur and Myanmar.Carp · Rivers and lakes Schizothorax plagiostomus 🇨🇳 China and 4 moreSchizothorax plagiostomus A high-altitude cyprinid from the Himalayan rivers.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇫 Afghanistan and 4 moreRita Large bagrid catfish from South Asian riversCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreZig-zag eel A large freshwater spiny eel native to South and Southeast Asia, known for its zigzag pattern and predatory habits.Eel · Rivers and lakes · 1777 🇮🇳 IndiaGangetic leaffish A small Asian fish found in slow rivers and ponds across South Asia.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreFreshwater garfish A slender, toothed needlefish from Asian fresh waters.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldTank goby Large subtropical goby found in fresh and salt waterOther · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 3 moreTrout barb A slender carp living in fresh waters near the Bay of BengalCarp · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 4 moreMola carplet A small freshwater fish from the Indian subcontinent valued as food.Carp · Rivers and lakes WorldTorinae A subfamily of large freshwater carps known as mahseers, found across Asia and Africa.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United StatesAtlantic tarpon Large, acrobatic saltwater game fish of the Atlantic.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1847 🇦🇫 Afghanistan and 4 moreOlive barb A cyprinid fish native to South and Southeast Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 3 moreReba carp An edible freshwater fish native to South Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇷🇺 Russia and 3 moreChum salmon A Pacific salmon species known for its large size and wide distribution across the North Pacific.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1836 🇹🇷 Turkey and 4 moreEuropean seabass A slow-growing temperate bass native to European and African coasts.Perch-like · Coasts and shelves · 1758 🇻🇪 Venezuela and 4 moreGuppy Small tropical livebearer known for bright male colours and rapid reproduction.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1859 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreTor mahseer Large cyprinid fish of Himalayan rivers with record-sized scales.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇸🇪 SwedenEuropean eel A catadromous fish with a mysterious ocean spawning cycle and critically endangered status.Eel · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 moreWalking catfish A Southeast Asian air-breathing catfish known for moving across land and surviving out of water.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreStriped snakehead A large freshwater food fish native to South and Southeast Asia.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 Australia and 4 moreNarrow sawfish A rare ray with a toothed snout found in Indo-Pacific waters.Ray · Coasts and shelves 🇦🇺 Australia and 4 moreLongcomb sawfish A critically endangered sawfish with a toothed rostrum.Ray · Coasts and shelves 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreTor khudree A large freshwater carp native to Indian rivers, known for its silvery body and red fins.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1838 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreClown featherback Large tropical freshwater fish with a knife-shaped body and spotted pattern.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 2 morePangas catfish Large shark catfish from South Asian rivers and estuaries.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1822 Long Whiskers Catfish 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreLong Whiskers Catfish A brackish water catfish with long barbels found in South and Southeast Asia.Catfish · Estuaries and mangroves 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 4 moreStriped dwarf catfish Small Asian catfish found in brackish waters and swamps.Catfish · Estuaries and mangroves 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 4 morePabdah catfish Small spotted freshwater catfish from South AsiaCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇱🇦 Laos and 3 moreBronze featherback A freshwater fish from South and Southeast Asia used for food.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 3 moreKuria labeo A large freshwater carp native to South Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreBata A slow-moving freshwater carp native to India and Bangladesh.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇰 PakistanElongate glassy perchlet Small translucent fish from South Asian watersOther · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 ChinaChinese sturgeon Critically endangered giant migratory fish of the YangtzeAncient · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreBullseye snakehead Large air-breathing fish native to South Asia.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇫🇷 France and 3 moreEuropean whitefish A widespread freshwater salmonid with a tapered body and silvery flanks.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes 🇸🇪 Sweden and 3 moreIde A freshwater cyprinid native to Europe and Asia, widely kept in ornamental ponds.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1758 WorldStingray A diverse group of cartilaginous rays with venomous tail spines.Ray · Coasts and shelves 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 moreGourami A family of freshwater labyrinth fish native to Asia, known for their air-breathing organ and varied parental care.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1832 🇦🇺 AustraliaMurray cod Large Australian freshwater predator of the Murray-Darling basinPerch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1838 WorldPike Freshwater predatory fish genus with sharp teeth and torpedo shape.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 AustraliaSilver Perch A threatened freshwater grunter endemic to the Murray-Darling basin in Australia.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 AustraliaSouthern saratoga A primitive freshwater fish native to Queensland rivers.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇳🇿 New ZealandGiant kōkopu New Zealand's largest freshwater fish, known for its amphidromous life cycle and traditional food value.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1789 🇳🇿 New Zealand and 3 moreCommon galaxias A small migratory fish of the Southern Hemisphere.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇳🇿 New ZealandBanded kōkopu A striped New Zealand galaxiid that climbs waterfalls.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 Australia and 1 moreShort-finned eel A catadromous eel native to Australia and New Zealand.Eel · Rivers and lakes
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