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 TitleState fish of Idaho
Common Name of FishCutthroat Trout
Scientific Name of FishOncorhynchus clarkii
Description of Why This Fish Is Important/Interesting

Native to western North America, Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) inhabit a wide variety of ecosystems ranging from headwater streams to coastal estuaries. The specific epithet clarkii pays homage to William Clark, whom first described Cutthroat Trout of the Columbia River in the early 1800s. Cutthroat Trout are an important bioindicator species because they are sensitive to habitat change and require cold, clean water and diverse habitat structure. Not only is this species a symbol of pristine ecosystems, but they are also very popular with the angling community because of their aggressive and opportunistic feeding behavior. Cutthroat Trout are an important component of Idaho’s natural heritage and in 1990 this species was named the state fish of Idaho.

Your NameIdaho Chapter AFS Native Fish Committee