Locations
Fish species in Pennsylvania
165 species have two or more US observation records in Pennsylvania. Explore their habitats, families, and local records.
165 species have two or more US observation records in Pennsylvania. ITIS calls 50 of them native to the United States, 108 native to part of the country and introduced elsewhere, and 7 introduced.
- Species
- 165
- Freshwater
- 161
- Saltwater
- 22
- Survey list
- 110
0
1state
Two counts, two questions. 165 is the number of species observed in Pennsylvania and filed with GBIF, which includes lakes, the coast, and museum records. 110 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 Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania
The species with the most observation records in the state. It is the closest the open data comes to naming the fish people meet.
Brown Trout44,023 records
Salmo truttaSalmonidaeIntroducedFreshSaltBrackish
Largemouth Bass35,512 records
Micropterus salmoidesCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh
Bluegill33,381 records
Lepomis macrochirusCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh
Brook Trout26,759 records
Salvelinus fontinalisSalmonidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Black Crappie24,200 records
Pomoxis nigromaculatusCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh
Smallmouth Bass23,312 records
Micropterus dolomieuCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh
Yellow Perch22,900 records
Perca flavescensPercidaeNative and introducedFreshBrackish
Walleye22,839 records
Sander vitreusPercidaeNative and introducedFreshBrackish
Brown Bullhead17,015 records
Ameiurus nebulosusIctaluridaeNative and introducedFresh
Pumpkinseed16,154 records
Lepomis gibbosusCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFreshBrackish
Rock Bass9,099 records
Ambloplites rupestrisCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh
White Crappie7,730 records
Pomoxis annularisCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh
Groups
Types of fish in Pennsylvania
Species
All 165 species, A–Z
A
- Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus
- Allegheny Pearl Dace Margariscus margarita
- American Brook Lamprey Lethenteron appendix
- American Eel Anguilla rostrata
- American Gizzard Shad Dorosoma cepedianum
- American Shad Alosa sapidissima
- Atlantic Menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus
- Atlantic Needlefish Strongylura marina
- Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus
B
- Banded Darter Etheostoma zonale
- Banded Killifish Fundulus diaphanus
- Banded Sunfish Enneacanthus obesus
- Bigeye Chub Hybopsis amblops
- Bigmouth Shiner Notropis dorsalis
- Black Bullhead Ameiurus melas
- Black Crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus
- Blackchin Shiner Notropis heterodon
- Blacknose Shiner Notropis heterolepis
- Blackside Darter Percina maculata
- Bloody Stickleback Apeltes quadracus
- Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus
- Bluebreast Darter Nothonotus camurus
- Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus
- Bluespotted Sunfish Enneacanthus gloriosus
- Bluntnose Minnow Pimephales notatus
- Bowfin Amia calva
- Bridle Shiner Notropis bifrenatus
- Brindled Madtom Noturus miurus
- Brook Silverside Labidesthes sicculus
- Brook Stickleback Culaea inconstans
- Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis
- Brown Bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus
- Brown Trout Salmo trutta
- Burbot Lota lota
C
- Central Mudminnow Umbra limi
- Central Stoneroller Campostoma anomalum
- Chain Pickerel Esox niger
- Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus
- Channel Darter Percina copelandi
- Channel Shiner Notropis wickliffi
- Chesapeake Logperch Percina bimaculata
- Cisco Coregonus artedi
- Comely Shiner Notropis amoenus
- Common Carp Cyprinus carpio
- Common Shiner Luxilus cornutus
- Creek Chub Semotilus atromaculatus
- Creek Chubsucker Erimyzon oblongus
- Cutlip Minnow Exoglossum maxillingua
E
F
G
H
I
J
L
- Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush
- Lake Whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis
- Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides
- Least Brook Lamprey Lampetra aepyptera
- Logperch Percina caprodes
- Longear Sunfish Lepomis megalotis
- Longhead Darter Percina macrocephala
- Longnose Dace Rhinichthys cataractae
- Longnose Gar Lepisosteus osseus
- Longnose Sucker Catostomus catostomus
M
- Margined Madtom Noturus insignis
- Mimic Shiner Notropis volucellus
- Mississippi Silvery Minnow Hybognathus nuchalis
- Mooneye Hiodon tergisus
- Mosquitofish Gambusia affinis
- Mottled Sculpin Cottus bairdii
- Mountain Brook Lamprey Ichthyomyzon greeleyi
- Mountain Madtom Noturus eleutherus
- Mountain Redbelly Dace Chrosomus oreas
- Mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus
- Muskellunge Esox masquinongy
N
O
P
Q
R
- Rainbow Darter Etheostoma caeruleum
- Rainbow Smelt Osmerus mordax
- Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss
- Redbreast Sunfish Lepomis auritus
- Redear Sunfish Lepomis microlophus
- Redfin Shiner Lythrurus umbratilis
- Redside Dace Clinostomus elongatus
- River Chub Nocomis micropogon
- River Darter Percina shumardi
- River Redhorse Moxostoma carinatum
- River Shiner Notropis blennius
- Rock Bass Ambloplites rupestris
- Rosyface Shiner Notropis rubellus
- Rosyside Dace Clinostomus funduloides
- Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus
S
- Sand Shiner Notropis stramineus
- Satinfin Shiner Cyprinella analostana
- Sauger Sander canadensis
- Sea Lamprey Petromyzon marinus
- Shield Darter Percina peltata
- Shorthead Redhorse Moxostoma macrolepidotum
- Silver Chub Macrhybopsis storeriana
- Silver Redhorse Moxostoma anisurum
- Silver Shiner Notropis photogenis
- Silverjaw Minnow Ericymba buccata
- Skipjack Shad Alosa chrysochloris
- Slimy Sculpin Cottus cognatus
- Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu
- Smallmouth Buffalo Ictiobus bubalus
- Smallmouth Redhorse Moxostoma breviceps
- Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka
- Southern Redbelly Dace Chrosomus erythrogaster
- Spot Leiostomus xanthurus
- Spotfin Shiner Cyprinella spiloptera
- Spottail Shiner Notropis hudsonius
- Spotted Bass Micropterus punctulatus
- Spotted Darter Nothonotus maculatus
- Spotted Gar Lepisosteus oculatus
- Spotted Sucker Minytrema melanops
- Steelcolor Shiner Cyprinella whipplei
- Stonecat Noturus flavus
- Streamline Chub Erimystax dissimilis
- Striped Bass Morone saxatilis
- Striped Shiner Luxilus chrysocephalus
- Swallowtail Shiner Notropis procne
T
V
W
Y
One record only
26 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 26 are shown.
American Paddlefish23 states
Polyodon spathulaPolyodontidaeNativeFresh
Atlantic Salmon26 states
Salmo salarSalmonidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Atlantic Silverside17 states
Menidia menidiaAtherinopsidaeNativeSaltBrackish
Balloonfish14 states
Diodon holocanthusDiodontidaeNativeSalt
Black Buffalo26 states
Ictiobus nigerCatostomidaeNative and introducedFresh
Blacktip Jumprock7 states
Moxostoma cervinumCatostomidaeNative and introducedFresh
Blotchside Logperch17 states
Percina burtoniPercidaeNativeFresh
Blue Tilapia16 states
Oreochromis aureusCichlidaeIntroducedFreshBrackish
Blueback Herring21 states
Alosa aestivalisClupeidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Chinook Salmon18 states
Oncorhynchus tshawytschaSalmonidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Coho Salmon22 states
Oncorhynchus kisutchSalmonidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Crescent Shiner3 states
Luxilus cerasinusLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Elegant Madtom4 states
Noturus elegansIctaluridaeNativeFresh
Flier18 states
Centrarchus macropterusCentrarchidaeNativeFresh
Lake Chub21 states
Couesius plumbeusLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Lake Chubsucker26 states
Erimyzon sucettaCatostomidaeNative and introducedFresh
Mud Sunfish11 states
Acantharchus pomotisCentrarchidaeNativeFresh
Northern Pipefish17 states
Syngnathus fuscusSyngnathidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish
Northern Redbelly Dace18 states
Chrosomus eosLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Pink Salmon12 states
Oncorhynchus gorbuschaSalmonidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Popeye Shiner12 states
Notropis ariommusLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Redfin Darter9 states
Etheostoma whippleiPercidaeNativeFresh
Saffron Shiner8 states
Notropis rubricroceusLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Silver Lamprey18 states
Ichthyomyzon unicuspisPetromyzontidaeNativeFresh
Slender Madtom17 states
Noturus exilisIctaluridaeNativeFresh
Threadfin Shad30 states
Dorosoma petenenseClupeidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Nearby