List of freshwater fish in California facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

California is home to many different kinds of freshwater fish! Some of these fish are native, meaning they have lived here naturally for a very long time. Others are non-native or introduced, which means they were brought to California by people, sometimes from other parts of the world. This article will tell you about some of the cool fish you can find in California's rivers, lakes, and streams.

Ancient Fish of California

Some fish have been around for millions of years! They are like living fossils.

Lampreys: Jawless Wonders

Lampreys are very old fish. They don't have jaws like most fish. Instead, they have a round, sucking mouth.

Pacific Lamprey (Lampetra tridentata)
River Lamprey (Lampetra ayresl)
Western Brook Lamprey (Lampetra ricchardsoni)

A Western Brook Lamprey, a jawless fish.

These lampreys are native to California. They are an important part of the ecosystem.

Sturgeons: Giants of the Rivers

Sturgeons are huge, ancient fish with bony plates on their bodies. They can live for a very long time!

White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus)

The White Sturgeon can grow to be very large.
Green Sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris)

A Green Sturgeon, another ancient fish.

Both White and Green Sturgeons are native to California. They are often found in large rivers and estuaries.

Salmon and Trout: Popular Sport Fish

California's cold, clear waters are perfect for many types of salmon and trout. Many of these fish are popular for fishing.

Pacific Salmon Species

Several types of Pacific salmon are native to California. They are famous for swimming upstream to lay their eggs.

Coho Salmon or Silver Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)
Chinook Salmon or King Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

A Chinook Salmon, also known as King Salmon.
Kokanee Salmon or Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

Kokanee Salmon are a type of Sockeye Salmon.
Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)
Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta)

A Chum Salmon, known for its unique markings.

Native Trout of California

California has several unique types of trout, many of which are native to specific areas.

Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

A beautiful Rainbow Trout.
Coastal Rainbow Trout or Steelhead Trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss irideus)
California Golden Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita)
Little Kern Golden Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss whitel)
Kern River Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gilberti)
Sacramento Redband Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss stonei)
Eagle Lake Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss aquilarum)
Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii)
Coastal Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii)
Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawl)
Paiute Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii seleniris)
Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus)

Introduced Trout Species

Some trout species were brought to California from other places.

Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalls)
Brown Trout (Salmo trutta)
Lake Trout or Mackinaw Trout (Salvelinus namaycush)

Minnows and Carps: Diverse Groups

This group includes many smaller fish, but also some larger ones. Many are native, but some are introduced.

Native Minnows and Relatives

California has many native minnow species. They play a key role in the food web.

California Roach (Lavinia symmetricus)
Hitch (Lavinia exilicauda)
Lahontan Redside (Richarsonius egregius)
Speckled Dace (Rhinichthys osculus)
Tui Chub (Siphateles bicolor)
Mohave Tui Chub (Siphateles bicolor mohavensis)
Owens Tui Chub (Siphateles bicolor snyderi)
Blue Chub (Gila coerulea)
Arroyo Chub (Gila orcutti)
Thicktail Chub (Gila crassicauda)
Bonytail (Gila elegans)
Sacramento Splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus)
Clear Lake Splittail (Pogonichthys ciscoldes)
Hardhead (Mylopharodon conocephalus)
Sacramento Blackfish (Orthodon microlepidotus)
Sacramento Pikeminnow (Ptychochellus grandis)
Colorado Pikeminnow (Ptychochellus luclus)

Introduced Minnows and Carps

These fish were brought to California and now live in its waters.

Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio)
Goldfish (Carassius auratus)
Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas)
Red Shiner (Cyprinella lutrensis)
Fathead Minnow (Pimephales promelas)
Tench (Tinca tinca)
Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

Suckers: Bottom Dwellers

Suckers are fish that feed on the bottom of rivers and lakes. They have special mouths for this.

Native Suckers

Many types of suckers are native to California.

Sacramento Sucker (Catostomus occidentalls)
Goose Lake Sucker (Catostomus occidentalis lacusanserinus)
Tahoe Sucker (Catostomus tahoensis)
Owens Sucker (Catostomus fumelventris)
Lost River Sucker (Catostomus luxatus)
Klamath Largescale Sucker (Catostomus snyderi)
Klamath Smallscale Sucker (Catostomus rimiculus)
Modoc Sucker (Catostomus microps)
Santa Ana Sucker (Catostomus santaanae)
Razorback Sucker (Xyrauchen texanus)
Shortnose Sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris)
Mountain Sucker (Catostomus platyrhynchus)

Catfish: Whiskered Fish

Catfish are known for the whisker-like barbels around their mouths.

Introduced Catfish Species

Most catfish found in California are introduced species.

Brown Bullhead (Amelurus nebulosus)
Black Bullhead (Amelurus melas)
Yellow Bullhead (Amelurus natalls)
Channel Catfish (Ictalurus puctatus)
Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus)
White Catfish (Ameriurus catus)
Flathead Catfish (Plyodictis olivaris)

Pupfish and Killifish: Small but Mighty

These small fish are often found in warm, sometimes salty, waters.

Native Pupfish and Killifish

California has several unique native pupfish. They can live in tough environments.

Amargosa Pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis)
Desert Pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius)
Salt Creek Pupfish (Cyprinodon salinus)
Owens Pupfish (Cyprinodon radiosus)
California Killifish (Fundulus parvipinnis)

Introduced Small Fish

Rainwater Killifish (Lucania parva)
Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)
Sailfin Molly (Poecilla latipinna)
Porthole Livebearer (Poecillopsis gracilis)
Inland Silverside (Menidia beryllina)

Sticklebacks: Spiny Fish

Sticklebacks are small fish known for their sharp spines.

Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is native.
Brook Stickleback (Culaea inconstans) is introduced.

Bass and Sunfish: Popular Game Fish

This group includes many fish that are popular for sport fishing.

Native Bass and Sunfish

Sacramento Perch (Archoplites interruptus) is California's only native sunfish.

Introduced Bass and Sunfish

Many bass and sunfish were introduced to California.

Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis)
White Bass (Morone chrysops)
Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
Redear Sunfish (Lepomis microlophus)
Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus)
Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)
Warmouth (Lepomis gulosus)
White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis)
Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)
Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
Spotted Bass (Micropterus punctulatus)
Redeye Bass (Micropterus coosae)
Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)
Bigscale Logperch (Percina macrolepida)

Tilapia: Warm Water Fish

Tilapia are fish that prefer warmer waters. All species found in California are introduced.

Mozambique Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus)
Redbelly Tilapia (Tilapia zillii)
Blue Tilapia (Oreochromis aureus)
Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Other Interesting Fish

California's waters are home to many other unique fish.

Native Fish

Tuleperch (Hysterocarpus traski)
Shiner Perch (Cymatogaster aggregata)
Striped Mullet (Mugil cephalus)
Tidewater Goby (Eucyclogoblus newberryi)
Prickly Sculpin (Cottus asper)
Riffle Sculpin (Cottus gulosus)
Pit Sculpin (Cottus pitensis)
Coastrange Sculpin (Cottus aleuticus)
Reticulate Sculpin (Cottus perplexus)
Marbled Sculpin (Cottus klamathensis)
Rough Sculpin (Cottus asperrimus)
Paiute Sculpin (Cottus beldingi)
Pacific Staghorn Sculpin (Leptocottus armatus)
Starry Flounder (Platichthys stellatus)

Introduced Fish

American Shad (Alosa sapidissima)

An American Shad, an introduced species.
Threadfin Shad (Dorosoma petenense)

A Threadfin Shad.
Wakasagi (Hypomesus nipponensis)
Yellowfin Goby (Acanthogoblus flavimanus)
Shimofuri Goby (Tridentiger bifasclatus)
Northern Pike (Esox lucius)

Images for kids

A Pacific Lamprey, an ancient jawless fish.
A juvenile River Lamprey.
A Coho Salmon, also known as Silver Salmon.
A Pink Salmon.
A Delta Smelt.
Longfin smelt.jpg

A Longfin Smelt.
An Eulachon.

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List of freshwater fish in California Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.