Locations

Fish species in Louisiana

331 species have two or more US observation records in Louisiana. Explore their habitats, families, and local records.

331 species have two or more US observation records in Louisiana. ITIS calls 226 of them native to the United States, 97 native to part of the country and introduced elsewhere, and 8 introduced.

Species: 331
Freshwater: 229
Saltwater: 139
Survey list: 118

1state

Louisiana in the United States.

Two counts, two questions. 331 is the number of species observed in Louisiana and filed with GBIF, which includes lakes, the coast, and museum records. 118 is the number the USGS stream survey caught, which samples flowing fresh water only. Neither is the other, so the site never adds them.

The statute

The official state fish of Louisiana

White crappie (freshwater)

Pomoxis annularis · named 1993

sos.louisiana.gov

Spotted sea trout (saltwater)

Cynoscion nebulosus · named 2001

legis.la.gov

A state fish is a statute, not a survey. It says which fish the legislature chose, not which fish is most common. The list above links each row to the state's own record.

Most recorded

The fish of Louisiana

The species with the most observation records in the state. It is the closest the open data comes to naming the fish people meet.

Spotted Gar46,939 records

Lepisosteus oculatusLepisosteidaeNativeFreshBrackish

Mosquitofish2,049 records

Gambusia affinisPoeciliidaeNative and introducedFreshBrackish

Largemouth Bass1,877 records

Micropterus salmoidesCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh

Bluegill1,849 records

Lepomis macrochirusCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh

Inland Silverside1,452 records

Menidia beryllinaAtherinopsidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish

Blacktail Shiner1,370 records

Cyprinella venustaLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh

Threadfin Shad1,271 records

Dorosoma petenenseClupeidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish

American Gizzard Shad1,220 records

Dorosoma cepedianumClupeidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish

Red Drum1,106 records

Sciaenops ocellatusSciaenidaeNative and introducedSaltBrackish

Blackspotted Topminnow1,099 records

Fundulus olivaceusFundulidaeNativeFresh

Hogchoker943 records

Trinectes maculatusAchiridaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish

Bay Anchovy899 records

Anchoa mitchilliEngraulidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish

Groups

Types of fish in Louisiana

Species

All 331 species, A–Z

B

C

D

E

F

H

I

J

L

M

N

O

P

Q

Quillback Carpiodes cyprinus

S

T

V

Vermilion Snapper Rhomboplites aurorubens

W

Y

One record only

49 more with a single record

One observation can be a stray, an aquarium release, or a mis-keyed locality, so these are kept out of the count above and listed here instead. The first 40 are shown.