150 Fishes to Celebrate 150 Years
This list is still in progress and being added to weekly. Check back again soon!
150 Fishes to Celebrate 150 Years
In 2020, the American Fisheries Society will celebrate its 150th Anniversary. As part of the celebration, the Society will be calling attention to 150 fishes. We solicited nominations of fishes for the list by the Society’s membership.
The 150 Fishes list is a celebration of the biodiversity of freshwater and marine fishes of North America. These fishes will help tell the story of fish and fisheries of the continent. They may illustrate unique life histories, beauty, conservation issues, and challenges of managing and conserving these animals and their habitats. These fishes represent our native biodiversity, but also illustrates how invasives and our own human nature have had impacts on our aquatic resources. Hence, this list will primarily focus on native species but may include non-natives when they tell a compelling fisheries story. From the stories of these fishes, the Society and the public can learn to better appreciate these amazing natural resources and be challenged to ensure that future generations will be able to experience these fishes in their native settings.
Nomination Process
Fish nominations are now closed.
Circulation Process
The 150 Fishes list will reside at the 150th Anniversary Website, information about individual fish from the list will be circulated through various social media platforms throughout the year.
This list is meant to be a fun for members and informative for the public. It is unlikely we will be able to include all nominations. We acknowledge that every fish has a story. There may be opportunities to discuss all the nominated fishes in the future.
FULL LIST OF NOMINATED FISH
| Catchy Title | Forever dependent on us. |
|---|---|
| Common Name of Fish | Barrens Topminnow |
| Scientific Name of Fish | Fundulus julisia |
| Image of Fish |  |
| Image Caption and Credit | Barrens Topminnow male |
| Description of Why This Fish Is Important/Interesting | This is a beautiful killifish (BTM), just listed Endangered, that is in trouble due to human-introduced Western Mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis. The topminnow is only known on the Barrens Plateau of middle Tennessee. Gambusia were introduced in the 1960s for mosquito control, but native fish are far better at eating the mosquito larvae or wrigglers, and the mosquitofish have harmed native species where introduced worldwide. The livebearer eats eggs and young of BTMs, causing their extirpation wherever the two meet. Now Barrens Topminnows can only survive in captivity or in waters where mosquitofish are permanently excluded and absence monitored. We caused their plight and now their continued existence depends upon us. |
| Website or Journal Article for More Information | https://www.fws.gov/southeast/news/2019/10/us-fish-and-wildlife-service-finalizes-rule-to-protect-fish-unique-to-tennessee-under-endangered-species-act/ |
| Your Name | Patrick Rakes |