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 | An Exotic Problem |
|---|---|
| Common Name of Fish | Silver Carp |
| Scientific Name of Fish | Hypophthalmicthys molitrix |
| Image of Fish |  |
| Image Caption and Credit | Silver Carp (USGS) |
| Description of Why This Fish Is Important/Interesting | The most abundant of four species of Asian carp, Silver Carp were imported to North America in 1973 to control phytoplankton in eutrophic waters. They soon escaped into natural waters and began reproducing populations by the 1980s. They now inhabit most of the Mississippi River Drainage and parts of the Missouri and Ohio River Drainages. High density populations of these large fish (up to 50+ lbs.) cause great concern for potential effects on native fish, and other aquatic life. Silver carp also can cause human injuries as they startle easily (e.g., at the sound of a boat motor), leaping out of the water. No one wants to run into an airborne Silver Carp while traveling at a high rate of speed in a boat. However, the biggest concern about Silver Carp and other Asian carp is that they may find a way around barriers designed to keep them out of the Great Lakes and cause grave damage to those valuable fisheries. Millions of dollars are being spent on control and containment of Asian carp. |
| Website or Journal Article for More Information | https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatic-invasives/fish-and-other-aquatic-vertebrates/asian-carp |
| Your Name | Steve L. McMullin |