Nonindigenous Fishes Introduced into Inland Waters of the United States

Status of Nonindigenous Fishes

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781888569148.ch3

We have more than 16,000 records that document 536 unique fish taxa (i.e., fish species, hybrids, and certain unidentified forms) introduced outside their native ranges within U.S. waters. This diverse group of 75 families of fishes includes species from every continent except Antarctica (Table 1). Of the 536 taxa, 316 (61%) are native to the United States but occur, or have been found, outside their native ranges, and 185 (35%) are from other countries; at least 75 of these foreign forms are known to have become established in the United States. The remainder are hybrids.