Field guide · Species directory
Fish
Alligator Gar
Atractosteus spatula
A massive armored predator that can exceed 8 feet and 300 pounds — North America's largest gar. Body covered in interlocking ganoid scales l…
American Eel
Anguilla rostrata
A long snake-like fish with an astonishing life cycle — born in the open Atlantic Sargasso Sea, drifting as larvae for a year before coloniz…
American Paddlefish
Polyodon spathula
A primitive plankton-eating fish with a paddle-like rostrum and a body unchanged for 300+ million years. They swim with mouth agape, filteri…
Apache Trout
Oncorhynchus apache
Arizona's state fish — a small golden-yellow trout native only to the White Mountains. Rescued from near-extinction (just 30 stream miles in…
Atlantic Halibut
Hippoglossus hippoglossus
A massive flatfish of North Atlantic waters. Critically reduced from past commercial fishing.
Atlantic Salmon
Salmo salar
The "king of fish" — a powerful silvery salmon that once supported massive fisheries from New England to Greenland. Wild populations in the …
Atlantic Tarpon
Megalops atlanticus
A massive silver "silver king" gamefish that can exceed 8 feet and 280 lbs. Famous for spectacular leaping fights after taking a fly. Highly…
Bonneville Cutthroat Trout
Oncorhynchus clarkii utah
A native subspecies of cutthroat trout endemic to the ancient Lake Bonneville drainage in Utah and adjacent states. Survived in scattered re…
Brook Trout
Salvelinus fontinalis
A char (not a true trout) with dark olive backs, worm-like vermiculations, and pale spots ringed in red. The official state fish of nine eas…
Chinook Salmon (Spring Run)
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
Spring-run Chinook salmon — among the most endangered salmon runs. Different populations face varied threats from dams to climate change.
Coho Salmon
Oncorhynchus kisutch
A bright silver Pacific salmon that turns brilliant red on its sides and dark-green head when spawning. Coho prefer small coastal streams — …
Cutthroat Trout
Oncorhynchus clarkii
The native trout of western North America — named for orange-red "throat slashes" beneath the lower jaw. Over a dozen subspecies, some imper…
Delta Smelt
Hypomesus transpacificus
A tiny native fish endemic to San Francisco Bay-Delta. Critically endangered; populations have crashed to near-zero levels.
Greenback Cutthroat Trout
Oncorhynchus clarkii stomias
Colorado's state fish — thought extinct in the 1930s, rediscovered in 2012 in a tiny remnant population. One of the great recovery stories.
Lake Sturgeon
Acipenser fulvescens
A massive armored fish that can exceed 200 pounds and 150 years of age. Lake sturgeon nearly vanished from the Great Lakes in the 1900s but …
Largemouth Bass
Micropterus salmoides
America's favorite gamefish — large mouth extending past the eye and a dark lateral stripe. The largemouth bass is the most-targeted sport f…
Muskellunge
Esox masquinongy
The "fish of 10,000 casts" — a legendary North American pike that can exceed 60 pounds. Muskie are notoriously hard to catch and beloved by …
Pacific Lamprey
Entosphenus tridentatus
A primitive eel-like fish with circular sucker mouth and rasping tongue. Migrates between fresh and salt water.
Pallid Sturgeon
Scaphirhynchus albus
A pale prehistoric-looking sturgeon native to the Missouri-Mississippi system. Federally endangered; one of the rarest fish in North America…
Rainbow Trout
Oncorhynchus mykiss
The iconic American trout — silvery with a bright pink stripe down the side. Sea-run rainbows are called "steelhead" and undertake remarkabl…
Red Drum
Sciaenops ocellatus
A reddish-bronze gamefish with a distinctive black "ocellus" spot near the tail. The state saltwater fish of Texas, Louisiana, and North Car…
Sacramento Splittail
Pogonichthys macrolepidotus
A native cyprinid endemic to San Francisco Bay-Delta. Populations have declined dramatically due to water diversions and habitat loss.
Smalltooth Sawfish
Pristis pectinata
A massive elasmobranch with extraordinary "saw" rostrum. Once common, now critically endangered.
Snail Darter
Percina tanasi
A tiny native darter famously at the center of the 1978 Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill Supreme Court case — the species nearly blocked c…
Sockeye Salmon
Oncorhynchus nerka
The iconic red salmon — gleaming silver in the ocean, turning brilliant red with a green head at spawning. Sockeye return runs in Alaska's B…
Anchovy (Northern)
Engraulis mordax
A small schooling fish. Major prey for seabirds and other fish.
Arctic Char
Salvelinus alpinus
A high-Arctic char with vivid red bellies and white-edged fins. The northernmost-distributed freshwater fish in North America — found in lak…
Arctic Grayling
Thymallus arcticus
A sleek silvery-purple fish with an extravagant sail-like dorsal fin. Once widespread in upper Michigan and Montana, the lower-48 native pop…
Atlantic Herring
Clupea harengus
Major commercial fish of Atlantic. Critical forage species.
Atlantic Mackerel
Scomber scombrus
A medium-sized schooling fish. Major commercial species.
Atlantic Sharpnose Shark
Rhizoprionodon terraenovae
A small shark common in Gulf of Mexico and southeastern Atlantic waters. Among the most common sharks of US southeastern coastlines.
Bighead Carp (invasive)
Hypophthalmichthys nobilis
A massive invasive carp introduced for aquaculture; escaped into Mississippi system. Filter-feeds on plankton, devastating native fish.
Black Bullhead
Ameiurus melas
A small dark catfish common in central US waters.
Black Crappie
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
A flat-sided silvery panfish covered in dark blotches. Crappie travel in big schools and are favorite winter targets for ice anglers across …
Black Redhorse
Moxostoma duquesnei
A large native sucker with dark olive-bronze sides. Indicator species for clean cool streams — they cannot tolerate sedimentation or polluti…
Blue Catfish
Ictalurus furcatus
The largest catfish native to North America — verified individuals over 100 lbs. Native to large rivers; introduced (controversially) to Eas…
Bluegill
Lepomis macrochirus
The classic American panfish — round, blue-and-orange, and willing to bite almost any small bait. Famously the first fish many North America…
Bluehead Sucker
Catostomus discobolus
A native sucker of Colorado River basin streams. Sensitive to flow alterations.
Bowfin
Amia calva
A primitive ancient predator — sometimes called "dogfish" or "mudfish" — and the only living member of an order that originated 250 million …
Brown Bullhead
Ameiurus nebulosus
A small catfish; common in ponds. Among the most adaptable native catfish.
Brown Trout
Salmo trutta
A non-native trout introduced from Europe in the 1880s. Brown trout are stronger-fighting and more catch-resistant than native trout — they'…
Buffalo Fish (Smallmouth)
Ictiobus bubalus
A native sucker. Recently shown to live extraordinarily long — verified individuals over 100 years.
Bull Shark
Carcharhinus leucas
A medium-large shark — most adaptable shark to freshwater. Can ascend rivers far from sea.
Capelin
Mallotus villosus
A small forage fish of Arctic waters. Major prey for many seabirds and marine mammals.
Channel Catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
America's most abundant catfish and a major aquaculture species. Long bluish-gray body, deep forked tail, and "whiskers" packed with taste-b…
Chum Salmon
Oncorhynchus keta
A Pacific salmon known for spawning runs in many small coastal streams of southeast Alaska. Spawning males develop fearsome canine teeth — e…
Cisco (Lake Herring)
Coregonus artedi
A silvery whitefish relative critical to Great Lakes food webs as forage for lake trout and salmon. Crashed in the 1900s from sea lamprey an…
Common Snook
Centropomus undecimalis
A sleek silvery gamefish with a distinctive black lateral line. Highly prized by Florida anglers — they're cold-sensitive and major freezes …
Flathead Catfish
Pylodictis olivaris
A massive flat-headed catfish that can exceed 100 pounds. Native to Mississippi drainage but introduced to Atlantic-coast rivers, where they…
Florida Bass
Micropterus floridanus
A subspecies of largemouth bass endemic to Florida. Grow significantly larger than mainland largemouth — Florida record fish exceeds 20 poun…
Florida Gar
Lepisosteus platyrhincus
A small native gar with mottled dark patterns and a relatively short snout. Common in Florida's tannin-stained waters.
Gila Trout
Oncorhynchus gilae
A small native trout of the Gila headwaters with golden-yellow sides and rich black spots. Brought back from the edge of extinction through …
Greenside Darter
Etheostoma blennioides
A small bottom-dwelling fish with greenish body and dark vertical bands. Indicator of clean cool streams.
Lake Trout
Salvelinus namaycush
A massive native char of northern lakes — slow-growing, long-lived, and exquisitely vulnerable to overfishing. Verified ages over 60 years; …
Lake Whitefish
Coregonus clupeaformis
A silvery deep-bodied whitefish that's historically supported one of the most important Great Lakes commercial fisheries. Native populations…
Logperch
Percina caprodes
A small darter with a long conical "log-like" snout used to flip over rocks searching for invertebrates.
Longnose Gar
Lepisosteus osseus
A slim torpedo-shaped predator with a long beak-like snout full of needle teeth. Common but often overlooked — gars represent ancient lineag…
Mountain Sucker
Catostomus platyrhynchus
A small native sucker adapted to cold mountain streams. Excellent indicator of stream health.
Mountain Whitefish
Prosopium williamsoni
A slender silvery cousin of lake whitefish, beloved by Western anglers. Often overlooked as "rough fish" but actually a native essential to …
Northern Hogsucker
Hypentelium nigricans
A medium-sized native sucker with distinctive long down-facing snout. Indicator of clean stream health.
Northern Pike
Esox lucius
A long torpedo-shaped predator with razor teeth and a duck-shaped snout — built for ambush. Pike will strike at almost anything that moves, …
Northern Snakehead
Channa argus
An invasive Asian fish that can breathe air, survive on land for days, and tolerate brackish water. Devastating to native fish in invaded sy…
Pacific Cod
Gadus macrocephalus
A major commercial fish of the North Pacific.
Pacific Halibut
Hippoglossus stenolepis
A massive Pacific flatfish — both eyes on the right side; one of the largest food fish in the world. Sustainably managed commercial fishery …
Pacific Herring
Clupea pallasii
Pacific counterpart to Atlantic herring.
Pacific Sand Lance
Ammodytes hexapterus
A small slender fish that lives buried in sand.
Pacific Sardine
Sardinops sagax
A small silver schooling fish. Once-massive populations crashed in the 1940s (the basis of John Steinbeck's Cannery Row), recovered, then cr…
Pink Salmon
Oncorhynchus gorbuscha
The smallest and most abundant Pacific salmon — averaging just 3–5 lbs. Spawning males develop dramatic humped backs (earning the name "hump…
Pollock (Alaskan)
Gadus chalcogrammus
Major commercial fish of North Pacific. Used in fish sticks and surimi.
Pumpkinseed
Lepomis gibbosus
A medium-sized panfish with bright orange-yellow coloration.
Rainbow Darter
Etheostoma caeruleum
A tiny brilliantly colored fish — males in spring have orange-red flanks with vivid blue-green vertical bars. Among the most colorful native…
Redbreast Sunfish
Lepomis auritus
A medium-sized panfish with distinctive red-orange breast in males.
Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout
Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis
A native cutthroat subspecies of the upper Rio Grande. Down to ~12% of historic range due to non-native trout, drought, and wildfire. State …
Rock Bass
Ambloplites rupestris
A large-eyed bronze panfish related to bluegills — but a fierce stream predator that hides in undercut banks and ambushes minnows. Often cal…
Round Goby (invasive)
Neogobius melanostomus
A small invasive fish from the Black Sea region. Now extremely abundant in Great Lakes; outcompetes native bottom-feeders.
Round Whitefish
Prosopium cylindraceum
A native cylindrical whitefish of northern lakes. Often confused with lake whitefish but smaller and rounder. Less commercial value but ecol…
Sablefish (Black Cod)
Anoplopoma fimbria
A medium deep-sea fish. Major commercial species.
Sauger
Sander canadensis
A close relative of walleye — smaller, more heavily mottled, with spots on the dorsal fin. More tolerant of turbid water than walleye, makin…
Scaphirhynchus Sturgeon (Shovelnose)
Scaphirhynchus platorynchus
A small sturgeon with flattened scoop-shaped snout. Most common sturgeon in the US.
Sea Lamprey (Invasive)
Petromyzon marinus
A primitive lamprey introduced to Great Lakes via shipping canals. Devastating to native lake trout populations.
Shortnose Sturgeon
Acipenser brevirostrum
A small sturgeon (smallest in North America) restricted to Atlantic coastal rivers. Federally endangered since 1967; sometimes confused with…
Smallmouth Bass
Micropterus dolomieu
A bronze-colored bass beloved for fighting hard pound-for-pound harder than nearly any freshwater gamefish. Distinguished from largemouth by…
Smallmouth Buffalo
Ictiobus bubalus
A massive bottom-feeding native sucker — can exceed 20 kg. Commercial fishery in some Midwestern states.
Spotted Gar
Lepisosteus oculatus
A medium-sized gar with distinctive black spots on body and fins. Like its cousins, can breathe air through a modified swim bladder.
Striped Bass (Anadromous)
Morone saxatilis
Anadromous striped bass. Major commercial and recreational fishery on Atlantic coast.
Walking Catfish (invasive)
Clarias batrachus
An invasive catfish capable of walking across land and breathing air. Devastating to Florida native fish populations.
Walleye
Sander vitreus
A long olive-bronze fish with reflective eyes that glow in low light — an adaptation for hunting at dawn, dusk, and night. The state fish of…
Western Mosquitofish
Gambusia affinis
A tiny live-bearing native fish much-used worldwide for mosquito control. Despite their reputation, they're often less effective than native…
White Bass
Morone chrysops
A silvery schooling fish with dark horizontal stripes — closely related to striped bass. Famous for spectacular "jump" feeding frenzies on s…
White Crappie
Pomoxis annularis
A silvery panfish with dark vertical bands (vs. blotches on black crappie). Crappie support beloved sport fisheries across the central US — …
White Sturgeon
Acipenser transmontanus
The largest freshwater fish in North America — verified specimens over 1,500 pounds and 20 feet. Some Kootenai River and Sacramento populati…
White Sucker
Catostomus commersonii
A medium-sized native sucker. Bottom-feeding generalist. Among the most adaptable native fish — found across diverse water bodies.
Yellow Perch
Perca flavescens
A handsome golden-yellow fish with dark vertical bands and orange fins. Yellow perch are popular panfish — they form large schools and are p…
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