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 | The Most Feared Fish |
|---|---|
| Common Name of Fish | White Shark |
| Scientific Name of Fish | Carcharodon carcharias |
| Description of Why This Fish Is Important/Interesting | Thanks to the 1974 Peter Benchley novel Jaws and the 1975 movie of the same name, the White Shark may be the most feared fish in the ocean. The White Shark's large size, sleek body, and gray coloration make it a successful hunter. The White Shark also has electro-sensory organs for sensing minute electrical fields given off by living creatures. It can smell a single drop of blood in a swimming pool. It has a mouth full of sharp teeth. Its teeth are subjected to heavy use and often break. That's no problem. There are rows of teeth in its jaws waiting to grow into place. Peter Benchley didn't have to embellish the fearsome capabilities of the White Shark. However, Benchley didn't emphasize the important role the White Shark plays in the ocean ecosystem. It keeps fish populations healthy by removing sick and weak individuals. It also keeps competitors in balance which fosters diversity in ocean fish communities. |
| Website or Journal Article for More Information | https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/g/great-white-shark/ https://marinebio.org/species/great-white-sharks/carcharodon-carcharias/ |
| Your Name | Steve Lochmann |