Summary of popular freshwater fish species in Vietnam you should know

Freshwater fish are fish species that live primarily in freshwater environments, such as rivers and lakes, with salinity less than 0.05%. These habitats differ greatly from marine environments, mainly in the salinity of the water. To survive in freshwater environments, fish species need physiological adaptations.

About 41.24% of fish species are found in freshwater environments. This is mainly due to habitat fragmentation. When dealing with lakes and ponds, one can use the same basic models for speciation when studying island biogeography.

Vietnam is also home to many rich and diverse freshwater fish species. Below are some popular freshwater fish species in Vietnam, try to see how many fish species you know:

Learn about the types of soft drinks in Vietnam

What is freshwater fish?

Freshwater fish are fish that live most of their lives in freshwater environments (such as lakes and rivers) with salinity less than 0.05%.

It was discovered that about 41.24% of fish species are found in freshwater environments. This shows that differentiation has fragmented the habitats of fish species, such as the treatment of ponds and lakes along with the use of different farming models.

Freshwater fish need to have physiological characteristics to adapt in their living environment. For example, the gills of this fish have the ability to diffuse dissolved gases while still retaining sodium in body fluids.

Meanwhile, scales have the function of reducing water diffusion through the skin, so freshwater fish can easily die if they lose many scales. In addition, the kidneys of freshwater fish are often very well developed to absorb salt from body fluids before being excreted.

Types of freshwater fish in Vietnam

Below are some types of freshwater fish in Vietnam that you should know and can choose to use in your daily meals:

Herring

Herring, scientific name is Sardinella, belongs to the herring family (Clupeidae). The shape of the herring is quite similar to the apricot fish, but it is larger in size, has a long body, small bones, bluish skin and two equal jaws. Herring's teeth are small, thin round scales often fall out easily and the abdominal spine has serrations.

Herring usually lives in surface water and swims quite quickly due to its strong tail. According to recorded information, herring belongs to a group of small-bodied bony fish that survived the extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period, so they still appear today.

In Vietnam, people call herring by its own name according to the shape in which it is caught. Specifically, herring often have flat bodies, many blue-white scales, especially their meat is white, fatty and fragrant but has many bones. While herring has a round body, few scales and its flesh is red, more abundant but not as delicious as herring.

In addition, coastal people living from the Central region often call small herring fish de, larger ones are also called Tram-eye fish .

Carp

Carp, scientifically known as Cyprinus carpio, belongs to the Carp family (Cyprinidae) and is a fish related to goldfish. The length of a carp can be up to 1.2m and weigh up to 37.3kg, and can even live up to 47 years.

Carp also have many varieties with different characteristics, such as: glass carp (usually without scales but with a row of scales running along the body), multi-scale carp (omnivorous fish) and leather carp (only carp). scales near the dorsal fin).

Sliced ​​fish

The tilapia fish, scientific name is Notopterus notopterus, belongs to the Notopteridae family. They have a long body (about 400mm), flat, very small tail and small scales covering the entire body of the fish. The mouth is quite large and has a short snout. On average, the fish weighs about 200 grams, sometimes up to 500 grams.

We often see tilapia fish having gray color on the back and silvery white color on the belly, while yellow color is below the edge of the operculum bone.

In Vietnam, this type of fish has a good growth rate so the output is high, distributed mainly in the Dong Nai River, the Mekong Delta, the Central provinces,. and the Central Highlands.

Loach fish

Loach fish belongs to the class Actinopterygii. The shape of the loach fish is quite similar to that of an eel, with a long body with many tendrils and fleshy antennae growing around the mouth. Trach fish are often distributed in northwest Africa, Asia and Europe.

Catfish

Catfish belong to the Catfish order, scientific name Siluriformes, and often live naturally in lagoons, ponds, rivers and lakes in Vietnam. In addition, the Catfish family has about 100 species living in freshwater environments in eastern Europe and almost all of Asia, except the Arabian Peninsula and Siberia.

Catfish have smooth, scaleless skin but have a small dorsal fin and anal fin that is also quite long. The fish's head is slightly flattened, its mouth is wide and there are two long barbels on the upper jaw while the lower jaw has four short barbels. Catfish length ranges from 8cm - 3m, depending on the species.

Catfish

Catfish or the Catfish family in general have the scientific name Clariidae, including about 114 species of catfish that all live in freshwater environments. Most catfish live in Southeast Asia, but the most diverse species are in Africa.

Each type of catfish has different shape characteristics. For example, black catfish (also known as Hong Kong catfish) has a long black body and smooth, shiny skin; The head is flat, while the body and tail tend to be laterally flattened; wide mouth, sharp teeth and four pairs of long antennae; The eyes are small and the nostrils are far apart.

Or the gray-yellow catfish has a flat head, a round and elongated body that gradually flattens towards the tail, smooth skin and black fins with dark spots; Small eyes, wide distance between eyes, large mouth and four pairs of long antennae.

Catfish

Catfish's scientific name is Plotosus canius, belonging to the Catfish family (Plotosidae). Catfish can live in both fresh and brackish water environments and the main breeding season usually takes place from June to August every year.

The shape of the catfish is quite similar to that of the catfish, but it is larger in size and has more antennae and lacks fat fins. The elongated tail looks similar to an eel's tail, pointed or bluntly rounded. Some fish species often have venom from their spines, so when eating, they need to be carefully prepared, especially the two sharp hard barbs on the fish's gills.

Catfish

Pangasius belongs to the order Siluriformes, they can live in fresh and brackish water, distributed along southern Asia. The catfish's body is solid, scaleless, and looks like a catfish but without barbs. The dorsal fin is located near the head, triangular in shape and has about 5 - 7 fin rays along with 1 - 2 spines.

In Vietnam, pangasius is mainly distributed in the Mekong river basin and the southernmost large river basins. They have flat bodies, smooth skin and short antennae.

Catfish

Catfish belongs to the Catfish family, with about 245 species, living in both fresh and brackish water environments, on the bottom or in muddy areas with lots of silt and slow-flowing water.

The size of the fish is relatively large, up to 1.5m long and weighing from 10 - 30kg. The body is elongated, scaleless, has a single-spined dorsal fin in front, a serrated pectoral fin and adipose fins around the body. The head is slightly flat with four pairs of fairly long antennae.

Croaker fish

Croaker fish belongs to the order Perciformes, with about 270 species, of which in Vietnam, up to 20 of the most common species are silver croaker.

The croaker's body has a long oval shape, slightly flattened on the sides, a large head and small teeth. The dorsal fin is divided into two segments: the front segment is hard spines and the back segment is soft. Croaker fish has a lot of meat, few bones, and is fatty and has a lot of fat in the back of the fish. The taste is sweet and leaves a pleasant aftertaste after eating.

Fry

The scientific name of the redhead fish is Helostoma temminckii, also known as the redhead fish, belonging to the Helostomatidae family. They live mainly in freshwater environments, even harsh and contaminated water environments thanks to their accessory respiratory organs. In Vietnam, snakehead fish are widely distributed in the Mekong Delta.

The size of the fish is small and has a lot of bones. The fish meat is white, rarely fishy, ​​soft and very delicious.

Anabas

Field perch has the scientific name Anabas testudineus, belongs to the family Perch and can live in freshwater and brackish water environments such as fields, ponds, swamps, ditches, etc.

They are blue to light gray in color, with the belly being lighter in color than the back. The edges of the scales and fins are brightly colored. The fish's gill cover is serrated, the teeth are strong and sharp, arranged in rows on both jaws. Size can be up to 250mm long. Male perch usually have a more elongated body than females.

Perch meat is fragrant, chewy and slightly fatty but has many bones.

Tilapia

Tilapia belongs to the Cichlidae family and has many species, living mainly in canals, rivers, streams and ponds. Among them, the most popular are red tilapia, striped tilapia and blue tilapia. They can live in freshwater, brackish water and slightly acidic water.

Tilapia's body has a slightly purple color with shiny scales, with 9 - 12 dark stripes running parallel from the back to the abdomen. Can reach up to 0.6m in length and weigh about 4kg, male tilapia grow faster than females.

Gourami fish

The snakehead gourami fish has the scientific name Trichogaster pectoralis, belongs to the Osphronemidae family, also known as Siamese purple perch, Lotho fish or snakeskin gourami. In our country, they mainly live in the southern region such as Kien Giang and Ca Mau.

The fish body is flat and long. The pectoral fins are long, the dorsal fin is rounded in females but long in males, and the pelvic fins are threadlike and very sensitive.

In addition, male gourami fish have more eye-catching colors than females, with a light yellow-brown color.

Giant ear fish

The scientific name of the giant fish is Osphronemus goramy, belonging to the Osphronemidae family. In Vietnam, they live mainly in the Dong Nai and La Nga river areas, and can adapt to harsh conditions in both fresh and brackish water environments.

The giant fish's body is laterally flattened and twice as long as its height. The mouth is quite wide, the snout is pointed and the dorsal fin is long with soft rays.

Snakehead

Snakehead fish has the scientific name Ophiocephalus striatus, belongs to the order Fruit fish, also known as Trau fish, fruit fish, banana fish, sop fish or cotton snakehead fish. They often live in places with weak water currents (still water) or places with other types of water bodies (such as ponds, lakes, fields, canals, etc.).

Snakehead fish can weigh up to 5 - 7kg and live up to 10 years (average 4 - 5 years). The fish's body is long, cylindrical, with a wide mouth and sharp teeth. Depending on the area where it lives, snakehead fish have many different characteristics such as: snakehead fish in shallow fields have scales on the head and a yellowish-black back, while snakehead fish in deep water have scales on the head and The back is black, and the scales under the belly are white.

Gobies

Goby's scientific name is Oxyeleotris marmorata, belonging to the Goby family. In Vietnam, they often appear in the Mekong River, Vam Co River and Dong Nai River areas.

The body of the goby is round, diamond-shaped, black and has a few brown stripes. The head is larger than the body, the teeth are sharp and the black V-shaped tail is easily recognizable.

Gobies have a lot of slime, have a grayish back and shiny skin, have large gills and an average weight of 50 - 100 grams. Goby fish has good health, thick and delicious meat. When processed, the fish meat is pure white, like chicken meat, so it has a characteristic toughness and sweetness.

White pomfret

The white pomfret's scientific name is Pampus argenteus, belongs to the family Stromateidae, lives mainly in Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East.

The white pomfret's body is almost flat, with a forked tail fin and long pectoral fins, with a few scales. The weight of white pomfret ranges from 4 - 6kg. White pomfret meat is tender and delicious.

Black carp

Black carp is also known as green grass carp. This species has a long, round tube-shaped body, pointed lips, no antennae, black back, milky white belly, white and firm meat, large but few bones. Black carp usually weighs about 3-5kg.

White carp

White carp, also known as grass carp, has a long body, round tube shape, round mouth, no beard, dark back, whole body is yellow, ash white belly, soft meat, few bones. Grass carp usually weigh about 1-3kg.

Drifting fish

Drifting fish have a balanced body, tapering towards the tail. The head is chubby, moderately long; blunt snout, slightly protruding, without folds. The fish's lower lip and lower jaw have a groove separating them. The top of the head is smooth, the nostrils are closer to the eyes than the muzzle. Narrow gills, attached to the waist. The average weight of a drift fish is usually from 800gr to 2kg.

Tench

Carp has a large head, flat and elongated body, and small white scales. The fish's body has glands that secrete a fishy smell, so it is very fishy. This fish species includes white carp and bighead carp.

Eel

Eel's scientific name is Monopterus albus, belonging to the Eel family (Synbranchidae). They live mainly in bottom areas in warm, freshwater environments, such as canals, swamps and rice fields.

Eels breathe through gills located in the abdominal cavity and intestines, without bladders. The average length is from 25 - 40cm, even up to 1m. The body is cylindrical, the skin is bare without scales and the dorsal fin is connected to the caudal and anal fins. The tail is pointed.

The mouth is large, both jaws have small teeth and small eyes. The abdomen is white or light brown, while the back is brown.