Invasive fish species

Invasive fish species can threaten native species, impact water quality and reduce recreational use of waterbodies.

Explore pages in:
Invasive fish species

Introduction

Invasive fish are non-native species introduced into aquatic ecosystems. These species:

  • have high reproductive abilities
  • compete with native species for food and resources
  • disrupt ecosystems, threatening native plant, fish and insect populations

Invasive fish species disrupt overall biological diversity of ecosystems, and impact recreational fisheries. All species found on this page have been detected in Alberta.

Common invasive fish species

This prohibited non-native fish outcompetes native species for resources and poses a risk to human health.
These common ornamental fish can pose significant harm to aquatic ecosystems when released into the wild.
This prohibited non-native fish outcompetes native species for food and resources through its high reproductive and competitive abilities.
This introduced fish disrupts aquatic ecosystems and poses potential threats to native fish.
This recently introduced fish has potential to disrupt aquatic ecosystems and pose threats to native fish.

Invasive fish response

As invasive fish species become established across the province, it is important for organizations to work together to prevent the spread, minimize impacts and use control methods to eradicate them where possible. Rotenone treatments are used by the Alberta government and partners due to the high likelihood of success in eliminating undesirable fish species from compromised waterbodies. Organizations, such as municipalities, can also perform select treatments to eradicate invasive fish species. Here is what you need to know to prepare for doing a treatment:

Help stop the spread of invasive fish

Report aquatic invasive species:

Learn more about identifying and preventing invasive fish species:

Spread the word about the threats invasive fish pose: