List of fishes of Minnesota

There are about 123 species of fishes found naturally in Minnesota waters, including Lake Superior. The following list is based on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The species data on this page is taken from the Minnesota DNR, which also uses several labels to indicate a fish's status within Minnesota waters. An endangered fish species is near extinction in Minnesota, a threatened species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future, and a special concern species is either extremely uncommon in Minnesota or has unique or highly specific habitat requirements.

Several types of Minnesota fish are considered non-native invasive species. A prohibited invasive species is illegal to possess in Minnesota without a permit, and a regulated invasive species is legal to possess but still may not be released into public waters. Many invasive fish species are nonetheless already well-established.

Coldwater sport fish

 * Atlantic salmon	Salmo salar
 * Bloater Coregonus hoyi
 * Brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis
 * Brown trout Salmo trutta
 * Cisco Coregonus artedi commonly called "tulibee" or "lake herring"
 * Chinook salmon	Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
 * Coho salmon	Oncorhynchus kisutch
 * Kiyi	Coregonus kiyi (special concern)
 * Lake trout Salvelinus namaycush
 * Lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis
 * Pink salmon	Oncorhynchus gorbuscha
 * Pygmy whitefish	Prosopium coulterii
 * Rainbow smelt	Osmerus mordax (regulated invasive)
 * Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss
 * Round whitefish	Prosopium cylindraceum
 * Shortjaw cisco	Coregonus zenithicus (special concern)

legal game fish MN

 * Black bullhead Ameiurus melas
 * Black crappie	Pomoxis nigromaculatus
 * Blue catfish	Ictalurus furcatus
 * Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus
 * Blue sucker	Cycleptus elongatus (special concern)
 * Brown bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus
 * Burbot Lota lota may be referred to as "eelpout," "ling," or "lawyer"
 * Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus
 * Flathead catfish Pylodictis olivaris
 * Green sunfish Lepomis cyanellus
 * Lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens (special concern)
 * Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides
 * Longear sunfish Lepomis megalotis
 * Muskellunge Esox masquinongy
 * Northern pike Esox lucius
 * American paddlefish	Polyodon spathula (threatened)
 * Pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus
 * Rock bass	Ambloplites rupestris
 * Sauger Sander canadense
 * Shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus
 * Smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu
 * Walleye Sander vitreus
 * Warmouth	Lepomis gulosus
 * White bass	Morone chrysops
 * White crappie Pomoxis annularis
 * White perch Morone americana (prohibited invasive)
 * Yellow bass Morone mississippiensis (special concern)
 * Yellow bullhead Ameiurus natalis
 * Yellow perch Perca flavescens

Other sport fish

 * American eel	Anguilla rostrata
 * Bigmouth buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus
 * Black buffalo	Ictiobus niger (special concern)
 * Black redhorse	Moxostoma duquesnei
 * Bowfin Amia calva sometimes call "dogfish"
 * Common carp Cyprinus carpio (regulated invasive)
 * Creek chub	Semotilus atromaculatus
 * Freshwater drum Aplodinotus grunniens often called "sheepshead"
 * Gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum
 * Golden redhorse	Moxostoma erythrurum
 * Goldeye	Hiodon alosoides
 * Goldfish	Carassius auratus (regulated invasive)
 * Greater redhorse	Moxostoma valenciennesi
 * Highfin carpsucker	Carpiodes velifer
 * Longnose gar Lepisosteus osseus
 * Longnose sucker	Catostomus catostomus
 * Mooneye	Hiodon tergisus
 * Northern hogsucker	Hypentelium nigricans
 * Quillback	Carpiodes cyprinus
 * River carpsucker	Carpiodes carpio
 * River redhorse	Moxostoma carinatum
 * Shorthead redhorse	Moxostoma macrolepidotum
 * Shortnose gar	Lepisosteus platostomus
 * Silver redhorse	Moxostoma anisurum
 * Smallmouth buffalo	Ictiobus bubalus
 * Spotted sucker	Minytrema melanops
 * White sucker Catostomus commersoni

Non-game fish

 * Alewife	Alosa pseudoharengus (prohibited invasive)
 * Allegheny pearl dace	Margariscus margarita
 * American brook lamprey	Lampetra appendix
 * Banded darter	Etheostoma zonale
 * Banded killifish	Fundulus diaphanus
 * Bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (prohibited invasive)
 * Bigmouth shiner	Notropis dorsalis
 * Blackchin shiner	Notropis heterodon
 * Blacknose shiner	Notropis heterolepis
 * Blackside darter	Percina maculata
 * Bluntnose darter	Etheostoma chlorosoma
 * Bluntnose minnow	Pimephales notatus
 * Brassy minnow	Hybognathus hankinsoni
 * Brook silverside	Labidesthes sicculus
 * Brook stickleback	Culaea inconstans
 * Bullhead minnow	Pimephales vigilax
 * Central mudminnow	Umbra limi
 * Central stoneroller	Campostoma anomalum
 * Chestnut lamprey	Ichthyomyzon castaneus
 * Common shiner	Luxilus cornutus
 * Crystal darter	Crystallaria asprella (special concern)
 * Deepwater sculpin	Myoxocephalus thompsoni
 * Eastern blacknose dace Rhinichthys atratulus
 * Emerald shiner	Notropis atherinoides
 * Fantail darter	Etheostoma flabellare
 * Fathead minnow	Pimephales promelas
 * Finescale dace	Phoxinus neogaeus
 * Flathead chub	Platygobio gracilis
 * Fourspine stickleback	Apeltes quadracus
 * Gilt darter	Percina evides (special concern)
 * Golden shiner	Notemigonus crysoleucas
 * Grass carp		Ctenopharyngodon idella (prohibited invasive)
 * Gravel chub	Erimystax x-punctatus (special concern)
 * Hornyhead chub	Nocomis biguttatus
 * Iowa darter	Etheostoma exile
 * Lake chub	Couesius plumbeus
 * Largescale stoneroller	Campostoma oligolepis
 * Johnny darter	Etheostoma nigrum
 * Least darter	Etheostoma microperca (special concern)
 * Common logperch	Percina caprodes
 * Longnose dace	Rhinichthys cataractae
 * Mimic shiner	Notropis volucellus
 * Mississippi silvery minnow	Hybognathus nuchalis
 * Mottled sculpin Cottus bairdi sometimes called "Muddler Minnow"
 * Mud darter	Etheostoma asprigene
 * Ninespine stickleback Pungitius pungitius
 * Northern brook lamprey Ichthyomyzon fossor (special concern)
 * Northern pearl dace	Margariscus nachtriebi
 * Northern redbelly dace Phoxinus eos
 * Orangespotted sunfish Lepomis humilis
 * Ozark minnow	Notropis nubilus (special concern)
 * Pallid shiner	Hybopsis amnis (special concern)
 * Pirate perch	Aphredoderus sayanus (special concern)
 * Plains topminnow	Fundulus sciadicus (special concern)
 * Pugnose minnow	Opsopoeodus emiliae (special concern)
 * Pugnose shiner	Notropis anogenus
 * Rainbow darter	Etheostoma caeruleum
 * Red shiner	Cyprinella lutrensis
 * Redfin shiner	Lythrurus umbratilis
 * Redside dace	Clinostomus elongatus
 * River darter	Percina shumardi
 * River shiner	Notropis blennius
 * Rosyface shiner	Notropis rubellus
 * Round goby	Neogobius melanostomus (prohibited invasive)
 * Ruffe	Gymnocephalus cernuus (prohibited invasive)
 * Sand shiner	Notropis stramineus
 * Sea lamprey	Petromyzon marinus (prohibited invasive)
 * Silver carp	Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (prohibited invasive)
 * Silver chub	Macrhybopsis storeriana or Hybopsis storeriana
 * Silver lamprey	Ichthyomyzon unicuspis
 * Skipjack herring	Alosa chrysochloris (special concern)
 * Slender madtom	Noturus exilis (Endangered)
 * Slenderhead darter	Percina phoxocephala
 * Slimy sculpin	Cottus cognatus
 * Southern brook lamprey	Ichthyomyzon gagei (special concern)
 * Southern redbelly dace	Phoxinus erythrogaster
 * Speckled chub	Macrhybopsis aestivalis or Hybopsis aestivalis
 * Spoonhead sculpin	Cottus ricei
 * Spotfin shiner	Cyprinella spiloptera
 * Spottail shiner	Notropis hudsonius
 * Starhead topminnow	Fundulus dispar
 * Stonecat	Noturus flavus
 * Suckermouth minnow	Phenacobius mirabilis
 * Tadpole madtom	Noturus gyrinus
 * Threespine stickleback	Gasterosteus aculeatus
 * Topeka shiner	Notropis topeka (special concern)
 * Trout-perch	Percopsis omiscomaycus
 * Western tubenose goby	Proterorhinus semilunaris
 * Weed shiner	Notropis texanus
 * Western blacknose dace	Rhinichthys obtusus
 * Western sand darter	Ammocrypta clara

Invasive species not currently in Minnesota
According to the DNR, these prohibited or regulated invasive fish species threaten Minnesota natural resources but are not currently known to be in Minnesota public waters.


 * Black carp Mylopharyngodon piceus (prohibited invasive)
 * Rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus (prohibited invasive)
 * Tilapia Oreochromis, Sarotherodon, and Tilapia spp. (regulated invasive)
 * Zander Stizostedion lucioperca (prohibited invasive)