Locations

Fish species in Tennessee

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

327 species have two or more US observation records in Tennessee. ITIS calls 200 of them native to the United States, 120 native to part of the country and introduced elsewhere, and 7 introduced.

Species: 327
Freshwater: 315
Saltwater: 12
Survey list: 197

1state

Tennessee in the United States.

Two counts, two questions. 327 is the number of species observed in Tennessee and filed with GBIF, which includes lakes, the coast, and museum records. 197 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 Tennessee

Smallmouth bass (sport fish)

Micropterus dolomieu · named 2005

tn.gov

Channel catfish (state commercial fish)

Ictalurus punctatus · named 1987

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 Tennessee

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

Banded Sculpin2,116 records

Cottus carolinaeCottidaeNativeFresh

Striped Shiner2,063 records

Luxilus chrysocephalusLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh

Redline Darter2,021 records

Nothonotus rufilineatusPercidaeNative

Smallmouth Bass1,880 records

Micropterus dolomieuCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh

Bluegill1,866 records

Lepomis macrochirusCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh

Central Stoneroller1,755 records

Campostoma anomalumLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh

Creek Chub1,694 records

Semotilus atromaculatusLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh

Rainbow Darter1,676 records

Etheostoma caeruleumPercidaeNative and introducedFresh

Snubnose Darter1,588 records

Etheostoma simoterumPercidaeNative and introducedFresh

Fantail Darter1,582 records

Etheostoma flabellarePercidaeNativeFresh

Northern Hog Sucker1,482 records

Hypentelium nigricansCatostomidaeNative and introducedFresh

Rock Bass1,464 records

Ambloplites rupestrisCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh

Groups

Types of fish in Tennessee

Species

All 327 species, A–Z

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

Inland Silverside Menidia beryllina

J

Johnny Darter Etheostoma nigrum

L

M

N

O

P

Q

Quillback Carpiodes cyprinus

R

S

T

W

Y

One record only

41 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.