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Species Documented from Maine

This is a list of fish species that spend all or part of their life cycle in Maine freshwaters (lake, ponds, rivers, streams). “Diadromous” means that the species moves between freshwater and saltwater. “# Lakes” indicates the number of surveyed lakes in which the species has been recorded (as of 2004, ME Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife had surveyed 2,154 lakes). Some species are found primarily in streams and rivers, rather than lakes.

Family Scientific Name Common Name Maine Native? Diadromous? # Lakes Comments
Petromyzontidae Petromyzon marinus Sea lamprey Yes Yes 13  
Anguillidae Anguilla rostrata American eel Yes Yes 684  
Clupeidae Alosa aestivalis Blueback herring Yes Yes 0  
Clupeidae Alosa mediocris Hickory shad Yes Yes 0 Do not reproduce in New England
Clupeidae Alosa pseudoharengus Alewife Yes Yes / No 31 (LL) 104 (SR) Primarily an anadromous species, but with a small number of land-locked populations
Clupeidae Alosa sapidissima American shad Yes Yes 0  
Clupeidae Dorosoma cepidianum Gizzard shad No No 0 Range extension into Maine waters?
Salmonidae Coregonus clupeaformis Lake whitefish Yes No 76  
Salmonidae Oncorhynchus mykiss Rainbow trout No No 10  
Salmonidae Prosopium cylindraceum Round whitefish Yes No 59  
Salmonidae Salmo salar Atlantic salmon Yes Yes 0  
Salmonidae Salmo salar sebago Landlocked Atlantic salmon Yes No 304  
Salmonidae Salmo trutta Brown trout No No * 213  
Salmonidae Salvelinus alpinus Arctic char Yes No 20  
Salmonidae Salvelinus fontinalis Brook trout Yes No * 1482  
Salmonidae Salvelinus hybrid1 Splake Yes + No 88  
Salmonidae Salvelinus namaycush Lake trout Yes No 160  
Osmeridae Osmerus mordax Rainbow smelt Yes Yes / No 564 Sea-run and landlocked populations
Cyprinidae Carausius auratus Goldfish No No 3  
Cyprinidae Couesius plumbeus Lake chub Yes No 292  
Cyprinidae Cyprinus carpio Common carp No No 0  
Cyprinidae Hybognathus regius Eastern silvery minnow No No 0  
Cyprinidae Luxilus cornutus Common shiner Yes No 463  
Cyprinidae Margariscus margarita Pearl dace Yes No 165  
Cyprinidae Notemigonus crysoleucas Golden shiner Yes No 861  
Cyprinidae Notropis atherinoides Emerald shiner No No 3  
Cyprinidae Notropis bifrenatus Bridled shiner Yes No 7  
Cyprinidae Notropis heterodon Blackchin shiner No No 0  
Cyprinidae Notropis heterolepis Blacknose shiner Yes No 84  
Cyprinidae Notropis hudsonius Spottail shiner No No 0  
Cyprinidae Pimephales promelas Fathead minnow Yes No 97  
Cyprinidae Phoxinus eos Northern redbelly dace Yes No 439  
Cyprinidae Phoxinus neogaeus Finescale dace Yes No 256  
Cyprinidae Scardinius erythrophthalmus Rudd No No 1  
Cyprinidae Semotilus atromaculatus Creek chub Yes No 569  
Cyprinidae Semotilus corporalis Fallfish Yes No 459  
Cyprinidae Rhinichthys atratulus Blacknose dace Yes No 435  
Cyprinidae Rhinichthys cataractae Longnose dace Yes No 3  
Fundulidae Fundulus diaphanus Banded killifish Yes No 365  
Fundulidae Fundulus heteroclitus Mummichog Yes No 1 Euryhaline, with some freshwater populations
Cottidae Cottus cognatus Slimy sculpin Yes No 124  
Catostomidae Catostomus catostomus Longnose sucker Yes No 130  
Catostomidae Catostomus commersoni White sucker Yes No 1207  
Catostomidae Erimyzon oblongus Creek chubsucker Yes No 19  
Ictaluridae Ameiurus nebulosus Brown bullhead Yes No 851  
Ictaluridae Ameiurus catus White catfish No No 0 Recent records from large rivers
Centrarchidae Lepomis auritus Redbreast sunfish Yes No 223  
Centrarchidae Lepomis cyanellus Green sunfish No No 1 Recent introduction
Centrarchidae Lepomis gibbosus Pumpkinseed Yes No 788  
Centrarchidae Lepomis macrochirus Bluegill No No 1 Recent introduction
Centrarchidae Micropterus dolomieu Smallmouth bass No No 471  
Centrarchidae Micropterus salmoides Largemouth bass No No 374  
Centrarchidae Pomoxis nigromaculatus Black crappie No No 60  
Centrarchidae Ambloplites rupestris Rock bass No No 0 Recent record from Androscoggin River in New Hampshire
Percidae Etheostoma fusiforme Swamp darter Yes No 3  
Percidae Perca flavescens Yellow perch Yes No 855  
Percidae Sander vitreus Walleye No No 1  
Esocidae Esox americanus americanus Redfin pickerel Yes No 0  
Esocidae Esox lucius Northern pike No No 19  
Esocidae Esox masquinongy Muskellunge No No 4  
Esocidae Esox niger Chain pickerel Yes No 809  
Umbridae Umbra limi Central mudminnow No No 0 Recent first record
Moronidae Morone americana White perch Yes No 520  
Moronidae Morone saxatilis Striped bass Yes No 0 Marine and freshwater
Gasterostidae Apeltes quadracus Fourspine stickleback Yes No 7  
Gasterostidae Culaea inconstans Brook stickleback Yes No 12  
Gasterostidae Gasterosteus aculeatus Threespine stickleback Yes No 153  
Gasterostidae Pungitius pungitius Ninespine stickleback Yes No 116  
Gadidae Lota lota Cusk Yes No 158  
Gadidae Microgadus tomcod Atlantic tomcod Yes Yes 0 Estuaries and rivers
Acipenseridae Acipenser brevirostrum Shortnose sturgeon Yes Yes 0 Primarily freshwater, but also coastal
Acipenseridae Acipenser oxyrhynchus Atlantic sturgeon Yes Yes 0  

+ Hybrid between two native species, brook and lake trouts.
* Sea-run populations exist.

 


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