Rice-fish co-culture is an important ecological agriculture development mode in China's rice farming region.A systematic and comprehensive carbon footprint evaluation of this mode is helpful for the low-carbon and green development of the rice-fish co-culture. Previous studies showed that rice-loach co-culture and rice-catfish co-culture could significantly improve the rice quality and increase farmers' income. However, no research on the carbon footprint of these two modes has been reported. Based on field experimental data, the study used life cycle assessment to evaluate carbon footprints per hectare (CFA), per output value (CFV), per profit (CFP), and per NDU (CFNDU) of the rice monoculture, rice-loach co-culture, and rice-catfish co-culture. A sensitivity analysis was performed to identify parameters that had greater impacts on the carbon footprint assessment results of the rice-fish co-culture. At last, a scenario analysis aiming to explore potential mitigation was carried out.Results showed that CFA, CFV,CFP and CFNDU of the rice-loach co-culture was 11 923 kg CO₂ -eq·hm^-2,0.10 kg CO₂ -eq·￥^-1,0.14 kg CO₂ -eq·￥^-1,and 1.37 kg CO₂ -eq·NDU^-1 respectively, which was reduced by 17.5%,82.1%, 79.1%, and 77.7% compared with those of rice monoculture. The CFA, CFV,CFP and CFNDU of rice-catfish co-culture was 12 110 kg CO₂ -eq·hm^-2,0.16 kg CO₂ -eq·￥^-1,0.22 kg CO₂ -eq·￥^-1,and 2.48 kg CO₂ -eq·NDU^-1 respectively, which was reduced by 16.2%,71.4%,67.2%, and 59.7% compared with those of rice monoculture. In general, rice-loach co-culture delivered the highest nutrient outputs and created the highest economic benefit with the lowest carbon emission, which is most worthy of promotion. Scenario analysis showed that, integrated adopting of photovoltaic power generation, new rice varieties, and improvement of feed utilization efficiency could reduce the carbon footprint by 23.4%-24.4% of the two rice-fish co-culture modes.This study provided theoretical basis for the conversion from traditional to ecological rice cultivation in China, from the perspective of carbon emission.