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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 States and 4 moreSea lamprey A jawless, parasitic fish native to the Northern Hemisphere that attacks other fish.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇺🇸 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 🇺🇸 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 WorldLamprey Jawless fish with a sucking mouth found in temperate waters worldwide.Ancient · Rivers and lakes 🇳🇬 NigeriaGymnarchus African electric fish with a long dorsal fin used for swimming and sensing prey.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1829 WorldHaplochromis A large ray-finned fish genus from East Africa known for rapid evolution and aquarium popularity.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1888 🇸🇷 Suriname and 2 moreRedeye piranha A large freshwater fish from South America with a rhombus-shaped body and red eyes.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1766 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreMexican tetra A freshwater characin with surface and blind cave forms, studied for evolutionary biology.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United StatesDelta smelt A tiny, endangered fish native to California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1963 🇺🇸 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 🇨🇺 CubaCuban gar Large tropical freshwater predator native to western Cuba.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 2 morePupfish Small killifish known for surviving in extreme isolated waters.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreZebrafish Small striped fish from South Asia kept in aquariums and labsCarp · 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 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 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreHoplias aimara A large freshwater predator from South America known for its size and mercury accumulation.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1846 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreElectric eel Neotropical freshwater fish capable of generating powerful electric shocks for hunting and defence.Eel · Rivers and lakes · 1766 🇦🇺 AustraliaAustralian lungfish Ancient air-breathing fish endemic to Queensland rivers, known for its longevity and living fossil status.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1871 🇷🇺 Russia and 1 moreRuffe A small, aggressive freshwater fish native to Eurasia that has become a major invasive pest in North America.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇺🇸 United States and 1 morePacific lamprey An anadromous parasitic jawless fish found along the Pacific Rim.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1872 🇲🇽 Mexico and 3 moreXiphophorus A genus of small livebearing fish native to Mexico and Central America, known for aquarium use and genetic research.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes WorldKillifish Small egg-laying fish known for hardiness and short lifespansLivebearer · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United StatesLeast killifish A tiny North American fish that gives birth to live young and measures just two centimetres long.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreMosquitofish Small North American fish introduced globally for mosquito control.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes 🇯🇵 JapanJapanese rice fish Small freshwater fish native to Japan and a key model organism.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreLargescale four-eyes Surface-dwelling fish with split eyes for dual vision.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1758

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

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