Ontario Fish

The sauger (Sander canadensis) is a freshwater perciform fish of the family Percidae which resembles its close relative the walleye. They are members of the largest vertebrate order, Perciformes. They are the most migratory percid species in North America. Saugers obtain two dorsal fins, the first is spiny and the posterior dorsal fin is a soft-rayed fin. Their paired fins are in the thoracic position and their caudal fin is truncated which means squared off at... less ↑

Walleye (Sander vitreus, formerly Stizostedion vitreum) is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch. The walleye is sometimes called the yellow walleye to distinguish it from the blue walleye, which is a subspecies that can be found in the southern Ontario and Quebec regions. less ↑

The yellow perch (Perca flavescens), commonly referred to as perch, is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samuel Latham Mitchill from New York. Yellow perch are closely related, and morphologically similar to the European perch (Perca fluviatilis); however, the two are recognized as independent species based on anatomical and genetic differences. Other common names for yellow perch include American perch, coontail, lake perch, raccoon... less ↑

The greenside darter (Etheostoma blennioides) is a species of fish in the family Percidae. Etheostoma blennioides is a large percid than inhabits swift riffles in Alabama, Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. less ↑

The johnny darter, Etheostoma nigrum, is a species of ray-finned fish found in shallow water throughout eastern North America. Its name comes from the Greek root words etheo, meaning to filter, stoma, meaning mouth, and nigrum, meaning black in Latin. They are important members of their aquatic ecosystems as predators and prey, and do not normally cause problems or have negative effects on their habitats. Their lifespans are about three years and they reach sexual maturity... less ↑

Ammocrypta pellucida, also known as the eastern sand darter, is a species of the Percidae family. The eastern sand darter is a relatively small, perch-like fish that is most plentiful in the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, as well as Lakes Champlain, Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Ontario. It prefers sandy bottomed streams and sandy shoals in the lakes. The Eastern sand darter feeds on larvae of black flies and other small insects that live in the water.... less ↑

The Eurasian ruffe (also simply ruffe or pope), Gymnocephalus cernua, is a freshwater fish found in temperate regions of Europe and northern Asia. It has been introduced into the Great Lakes of North America, reportedly with unfortunate results. Its common names are ambiguous – "ruffe" may refer to any local member of its genus Gymnocephalus, which as a whole is natively endemic to Eurasia. less ↑

The freshwater drum, Aplodinotus grunniens, is a fish endemic to North and Central America. It is the only species in the genus Aplodinotus. The freshwater drum is a member of the family Sciaenidae, and is the only North American member of the group that inhabits freshwater for its entire life. Its generic name, Aplodinotus, comes from Greek meaning "single back", and the specific epithet, grunniens, comes from a Latin word meaning "grunting". It is given to... less ↑

The smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus. One of the black basses, it is a popular game fish sought by anglers throughout the temperate zones of North America, and has been spread by stock to many cool-water tributaries and lakes in Canada and more so introduced in the United States. The smallmouth bass is native... less ↑

The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is a freshwater gamefish in the sunfish family, a species of black bass native to North America. It is also known by a variety of regional names, such as the brown bass, widemouth bass, bigmouth bass, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, gilsdorf bass, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth and (paradoxically) northern largemouth. The largemouth bass is the state fish of Alabama (official freshwater... less ↑

The green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (family Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. A panfish popular with anglers, the green sunfish is also kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists. They are usually caught by accident, while fishing for other game fish. Green sunfish can be caught with live bait such as nightcrawlers, waxworms, and mealworms. Grocery store baits such as pieces of hot dog or corn kernels can... less ↑

The orangespotted sunfish (Lepomis humilis) is a North American species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. These fish are widely distributed across the middle and eastern United States, from the Rocky Mountains to the east, from the Great Lakes south into the Gulf Coast. The orangespotted sunfish is a species that is ecologically unique and thrives in turbid, shallow systems that have few predators and low oxygen contents. The species prefers... less ↑

The bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes. Lepomis, in Greek, means "scaled gill cover" and macrochirus means large hand, which may be a reference to its body shape. A defining characteristic of the bluegill is the bright blue edging visible on its gill rakers. less ↑

The longear sunfish, Lepomis megalotis, is a freshwater fish in the sunfish family Centrarchidae of order Perciformes. It is native to the area of eastern North America stretching from the Great Lakes down to northeastern Mexico. The longear sunfish reaches a maximum recorded length of about 24 cm (9.5 in), with a maximum recorded weight of 790g (1.7 lb). Most do not live beyond six years. The longear sunfish is quite colorful, with an olive to... less ↑

The rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris, Ambloplites constellatus), also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, or red eye, is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. They are similar in appearance to smallmouth bass, but are usually quite a bit smaller. The average rock bass is between 6 and 10 in, and they rarely weigh over a pound. Rock bass are native to the St Lawrence River and Great Lakes system,... less ↑

The slimy sculpin, Cottus cognatus, is a freshwater species of fish that inhabits cool, rocky streams, rivers and lakes throughout northern North America and eastern Siberia. The slimy sculpin is found in freshwater and sometimes brackish water in areas with rocky or gravel type bottoms. The slimy sculpin is a nocturnal fish that usually spends most of its time on the stream bottom and seeks shelter under rocks and logs, especially during spawning season. When it... less ↑

The American eel, Anguilla rostrata, is a facultative catadromous fish found on the eastern coast of North America. Eels (Anguilla spp.) are fishes belonging to the elopomorph superorder, a group of phylogenetically ancient teleosts. The American eel has a slender snakelike body that is covered with a mucous layer, which makes the eel appear to be naked and slimy despite the presence of minute scales. A long and dorsal fin runs from the middle of the... less ↑

The brown trout (Salmo trutta) is an originally European species of salmonid fish. It includes both purely freshwater populations, referred to Salmo trutta morpha fario and S. trutta morpha lacustris, and anadromous forms known as the sea trout, S. trutta morpha trutta. The latter migrates to the oceans for much of its life and returns to freshwater only to spawn. Sea trout in the UK and Ireland have many regional names, including sewin (Wales), finnock (Scotland),... less ↑

The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a species of salmonid native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the Coastal rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus) or redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri) that usually returns to freshwater to spawn after living two to three years at sea. Freshwater forms that have been introduced into the Great Lakes and migrate into tributaries to spawn are... less ↑

The Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (from the Russian чавыча chavycha), is the largest species in the Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus) genus. Other commonly used names for the species include king salmon, Quinnat salmon, spring salmon and Tyee salmon. Chinook are anadromous fish native to the north Pacific Ocean and the river systems of western North America ranging from California to Alaska. They are also native to Asian rivers ranging from northern Japan to the Palyavaam River in... less ↑

Arctic char or Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus, is a cold-water fish in the family Salmonidae, native to Arctic, sub-Arctic and alpine lakes and coastal waters. It breeds in fresh water, and populations can be either landlocked or anadromous, migrating to the sea. No other freshwater fish is found as far north; it is, for instance, the only fish species in Lake Hazen on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic. It is one of the rarest fish... less ↑

The brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), sometimes called the eastern brook trout, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior is known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters. Though commonly called a trout, the brook trout is actually a char, along with lake trout, bull trout, Dolly Varden and the Arctic... less ↑

Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, it can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbelly and lean. The lake trout is prized both as a game fish and as a food fish. less ↑

Coregonus artedi, commonly known as the cisco, is a North American species of freshwater whitefish in the family Salmonidae. The number of species and definition of species limits in North American ciscoes is a matter of debate. Accordingly, Coregonus artedi may refer either in a narrow sense to one of the several types of cisco found e.g. in the Great Lakes, or in a broad sense to the complex of all ciscoes in continental North American... less ↑

The lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) is a species of freshwater whitefish from North America. Lake whitefish are found throughout much of Canada and parts of the northern United States, including all of the Great Lakes. The lake whitefish is sometimes referred to as a "humpback" fish due to the small size of the head in relation to the length of the body. It is a valuable commercial fish, and also occasionally taken by sport fishermen. Smoked,... less ↑

The deepwater cisco (Coregonus johannae) was one of the largest ciscoes in the Great Lakes. Its average length was 30cm (12 inches) and it was about 1.0 kilogram (2.2 pounds) in weight. Occurring only in Lakes Huron and Michigan, and inhabited waters between 50 and 150 metres deep, it was difficult to distinguish from other ciscoes and was possibly the same species as the shortjaw cisco (Coregonus zenithicus). The deepwater cisco was distinguished by usually having... less ↑

The kiyi (Coregonus kiyi) is a species of freshwater whitefish, a deepwater cisco, endemic to the Great Lakes of North America. It previously inhabited Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Ontario, but is now believed to persist only in Lake Superior where it is common. The various deepwater ciscos are also called chubs (not to be confused with the various species of Cyprinidae also called chubs). The kiyi is part of the large group... less ↑

The blackfin cisco (Coregonus nigripinnis) is a North American salmonid fish in the freshwater whitefish sub-family Coregoninae. This silvery, deep-bodied fish with black fins, large eyes, a blunt snout and a terminal mouth, is one of the largest forms of ciscoes. The blackfin cisco used to inhabit the Great Lakes of North America until recently, but has been reported to have gone extinct. less ↑

The round whitefish (Prosopium cylindraceum) is a freshwater species of fish that is found in lakes from Alaska to New England, including the Great Lakes. It has an olive-brown back with light silvery sides and underside and its length is generally between 9 and 19 inches (23 and 48 cm). They are bottom feeders, feeding mostly on invertebrates, such as crustaceans, insect larvae, and fish eggs. Some other fish species, like white sucker in turn eat their eggs. Lake... less ↑

The ninespine stickleback (Pungitius pungitius), also called the ten-spined stickleback, is a freshwater species of fish in the Gasterosteidae family that inhabits temperate waters. Widely but locally distributed throughout the UK and along the Atlantic coast of North America, it is also found in many northern and eastern European countries, in Greenland and in Turkey, and in the Far East. Despite its name, the number of spines can vary from 8 to 12. less ↑

The brook stickleback (Culaea inconstans) is a small freshwater fish that is distributed across the US and Canada. It grows to a length of about 2 inches. It occupies the northern part of the eastern United States, as well as the southern half of Canada. Small populations are scattered throughout the Mississippi-Great Lakes basin extending to Colorado, New Mexico, Kentucky, Tennessee, etc., though some of these areas are not native to the species. This small fish inhabits... less ↑

The black bullhead (Ameiurus melas) is a species of bullhead catfish. Like other bullhead catfish, it has the ability to thrive in waters that are low in oxygen, brackish, turbid and/or very warm. It also has barbels located near its mouth, a broad head, spiny fins and no scales. It can be identified from other bullheads as the barbels are black, and it has a tan crescent around the tail. Its caudal fin is truncate (squared... less ↑

The brown bullhead, Ameiurus nebulosus, is a fish of the Ictaluridae family that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead (Ameiurus melas) and yellow bullhead (Ameiurus natalis). It was originally described as Pimelodus nebulosus by Charles Alexandre Lesueur in 1819, and is also referred to as Ictalurus nebulosus. less ↑

The flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), also called the motley, yellow cat, opelousas, bashaw, or shovelhead cat, is a species of North American freshwater catfish. This is the only species of the genus Pylodictis. Ranging from the lower Great Lakes region to northern Mexico, they have been widely introduced and are an invasive species in some areas. The closest living relative of the flathead is the widemouth blindcat, Satan eurystomus. less ↑

Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8 million anglers targeting them per year. The popularity of channel catfish for food has contributed to the rapid growth of aquaculture of this species in the United States. less ↑

The common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia. The wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction, but the species has also been domesticated and introduced into environments worldwide, and is often considered a very destructive invasive species, being included in the List of the world's 100 worst invasive species. It gives its name to the carp family: Cyprinidae. less ↑

The Emerald Shiner (Notropis atherinoides) is one of hundreds of small, silvery, slender fish species known as shiners. The identifying characteristic of the emerald shiner is the silvery emerald color on its sides. It can grow to 3.5 inches in length and is found across North America from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, commonly in large, deep lakes and rivers, though sometimes in smaller bodies of water as well. It feeds on small organisms such as... less ↑

The Ghost Shiner (Notropis buchanani) is a North American species of freshwater fish belonging to the Notropis genus within the Cyprinidae family. It is generally characterized as being a small bodied, silvery and fusiform shaped cyprinid.Notropis buchanani is morphologically similar to and often mistaken for the Mimic Shiner (Notropis volucellus), which is evident by its former classification as a subspecies of Notropis volucellus. less ↑

The Spottail Shiner (Notropis hudsonius) is a small to medium sized freshwater minnow. Spottail Shiners are members of the phylum Chordata and class Actinopterygii, which are the ray-finned and spiny ray fish. It is a member of the order Cypriniformes and family Cryprinidae, which consist of the carps and minnows. The spottail shiner can usually be found as far north as the Canada or as far south as the Chattahoochee River in Georgia. These shiners live... less ↑

The Rosyface Shiner (Notropis rubellus) is a small North American fish found throughout the central and eastern United States and southern Canada in clear pools and riffles in large creeks and small rivers. It can grow to 3.5 inches in length. It is olive-colored to bluish with an orange lateral stripe, and breeding males are reddish. Its maximum reported age is 3 years. less ↑

The bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus) is a species of temperate freshwater fish belonging to the Pimephales genus of the cyprinid family. Its natural geographic range extends from the Great Lakes south along the Mississippi River basin to Louisiana, and east across the Midwestern United States to New York State. The bluntnose is very ubiquitous, and may be the most common freshwater fish in the Eastern U.S. less ↑

The fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), is a species of temperate freshwater fish belonging to the Pimephales genus of the cyprinid family. The natural geographic range extends throughout much of North America, from central Canada south along the Rockies to Texas, and east to Virginia and the Northeastern United States. This minnow has also been introduced to many other areas via bait bucket releases. Its golden, or xanthic, strain, known as the rosy-red minnow, is a very... less ↑

The longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae) is a freshwater minnow native to North America. Rhinicthys means snout fish (reference to the long snout) and catarace means of the cataract (first taken from Niagara Falls). Longnose dace are small, typically less than 100 mm and characterized by their fleshy snout that protrudes past the mouth. They are well adapted for living on the bottom of fast-flowing streams among stones. Longnose dace eat algae and aquatic insects and are important... less ↑

Semotilus atromaculatus, known as the creek chub or the common creek chub, is a small minnow, a freshwater fish found in the eastern US and Canada. Differing in size and color depending on origin of development, the creek chub can usually be defined by a dark brown body with a white lateral line spanning horizontally across the body. It lives primarily within streams and river. The genus name Semotilus derives from the Greek word sema (also... less ↑

The fallfish, Semotilus corporalis, is a freshwater fish, a chub in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada, where it inhabits streams, rivers, and lake margins. It is fished as a game fish, but opinions vary as to its palatability. As far as a game fish goes, it does put up a good fight. The fallfish tends to be very slimy when held. Also, an audible sucking and gurgling... less ↑

This is a monitoring plan for the cyprinid Nocomis micropogon or River Chub. The river chub is a robust minnow, dark olivaceous above to dusky yellow below, with orange-red fins, large scales, a large slightly subterminal mouth, and a small barbel at the corners of the jaw. During the breeding season, sexually mature males develop pinkish-purple coloration, and swollen heads with tubercles between the eyes and snout tip (they are sometimes called hornyheads). less ↑

The redside dace (Clinostomus elongatus) is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family, found in the United States and Canada. It is unique among minnows, being the only species to routinely feed on flying insects by leaping from water. Thus, it acts as a conduit for nutrient transfers between terrestrial and aquatic environments. The species can be used as an ecosystem health indicator, as it is sensitive to environmental disturbances. less ↑