Fish Guide

This guide initially displays all common fish regardless of shape. Use the selectors below to include rare fish or select a specific set, either by shape or name.

Nearby waterways are home to a variety of native and introduced fish. The geographical range for this guide is a bit broader than some of our other guides, encompassing not just Los Alamos and the Pajarito Plateau (which has very few fish!) but also nearby stretches of the Rio Grande, the Jemez River drainage, and nearby lakes, such as Cochiti and Fenton.

Fish Guide References

Biota Information System
FishBase Consortium
New Mexico Game and Fish
Sublette, J., Hatch, M.D, and Sublette, M., 1990 The Fishes of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press
US Geological Survey Nonindigenous Aquatic Species

Subject Area Experts (all guides)

Steve Cary (butterflies)
Beth Cortright (insects)
Terry Foxx (invasive plants)
Leslie Hansen (mammals)
Richard Hansen (fish, mammals)
Dorothy Hoard (butterflies, trees)
Chick Keller (flowers, herbarium)
Shari Kelley (geology)
Kirt Kempter (geology)
Garth Tietjen (reptiles)
David Yeamans (birds)

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Contact

Please contact us for local nature questions and sightings. We welcome comments, corrections, and additions to our guides.

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Showing 1 of 22 fish.
Channel Catfish

Photo: Cliff

Channel Catfish

(Ictalurus punctatus)

Family: Ictaluridae (North American Catfish)
Size: up to 36 in (91 cm)

Status: introduced; common
Habitat: wide variety of freshwater habitats
Typical location: Cochiti Lake, Rio Grande

Feeds primarily on aquatic invertebrates. Native to the Canadian drainage and widely introduced elsewhere in New Mexico.

Info    Photos    Distribution    

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