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 keystone species and cultural icon for Native American Tribes |
|---|---|
| Common Name of Fish | Pacific Lamprey |
| Scientific Name of Fish | Entosphenus tridentatus |
| Image Caption and Credit | Credit: Jeremy Monroe, Freshwaters Illustrated |
| Description of Why This Fish Is Important/Interesting | Pacific lamprey, colloquially known as “eels” by Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest, hold tremendous importance both ecologically and culturally. Lampreys have persisted through the ages with fossil records dating back to 450 million years ago. They have survived numerous extinction events and continue to be a key part of the overall health for streams and tributaries. However, their very existence has been threatened over the past century; this once thriving species has been pushed to the brink of extirpation in many parts of their range. Pacific Lamprey have been harvested by the tribes for subsistence, religious, medicinal and spiritual purposes for millenniums. However, these “eels” have begun to dissipate from their culture due to loss in harvest opportunities. As a result, young tribal members have lost their opportunity to acquire cultural traditional ecological knowledge pertaining to “eels.” The Tribes are working to restore the species as well as this connection. |
| Website or Journal Article for More Information | https://www.critfc.org/fish-and-watersheds/columbia-river-fish-species/lamprey/ |
| Your Name | Devayne Lewis |