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 | A top level predator and indicator of ecosystem health |
|---|---|
| Common Name of Fish | Bull Trout |
| Scientific Name of Fish | Salvelinus confluentus |
| Image of Fish |  |
| Image Caption and Credit | Male and female bull trout in spawning condition in the upper Findlay River, British Columbia. Photo E. Keeley. |
| Description of Why This Fish Is Important/Interesting | Bull Trout are a unique species of char native to Northwestern North America, and have adapted to become the top level predator in watersheds that they occur. Although Bull Trout are omnivorous, In some lakes they become a Kokanee's worst nightmare when they reach a size where they can switch to eating other fish as their food source. Although the distribution of the fish extends southwards in Nevada, the species prefers cold, clean water for it's life cycle. As such declines in the abundance of the species within watersheds can be an indicator of ecosystem health. It is likely with climate change that the range of the species will shrink, as other warm water tolerant fish increase in abundance. The species is listed as threatened under the endangered species act in the United States and are a species of concern in Canada where there abundance is the greatest. The persistence of the species throughout its range is at risk from a number of factors. |
| Website or Journal Article for More Information | http://wvvw.krisweb.com/biblio/kootenai_bcfish_mcphailetal_1996_bull.pdf |
| Your Name | James Baxter |