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 pregnant father? |
|---|---|
| Common Name of Fish | Lined Seahorse |
| Scientific Name of Fish | Hippocampus erectus |
| Description of Why This Fish Is Important/Interesting | The Lined Seahorse is unusual for a variety of reasons. This small inhabitant of seagrass beds and other nearshore marine areas is unique because it swims in an upright position, using its dorsal and pectoral fins to move slowly through the water. Since they are poor swimmers, the Lined Seahorse spends much time just hanging on to marine vegetation with their prehensile tail. Perhaps the most unusual aspect of Lined Seahorse biology is its brood pouch. Like marsupial mammals (think kangaroos), seahorses nurture young in a pouch. Unlike marsupials, it is the male Line Seahorse which carries eggs and young in a brood pouch. Pairs of Lined Seahorse enter into monogamous relationships following a courtship including dancing together. Females lay eggs in the male’s brood pouch. In the brood pouch, eggs are fertilized and incubated. After about a 21-d pregnancy, It is the male which gives birth to hundreds of baby seahorses. That’s quite a role reversal from humans and other mammals. |
| Website or Journal Article for More Information | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lined_seahorse |
| Your Name | Steve Lochmann |