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 | Bow to the King |
|---|---|
| Common Name of Fish | Tarpon |
| Scientific Name of Fish | Magalops atlanticus |
| Description of Why This Fish Is Important/Interesting | Anyone who has watched a hooked Tarpon perform aerial acrobatics understands why it is referred to as “the silver king”. This fish lives in coastal lagoons, feeding upon shrimp, crabs, and small forage fishes. Tarpon can live for 50 years and grow to more than 8 feet long. Tarpon are able to get oxygen from air using their swim bladder as a lung. This fish isn’t popular because it’s tasty. It isn’t. This fish is among the most popular marine sport fish because of the fight it provides to recreational anglers. This high profile species is carefully managed by state natural resource agencies. Anglers generally catch and release Tarpon. Anglers seeking a challenge will pursue Tarpon with light tackle or even fly rods. Some speculate that because Tarpon can get oxygen from its gills and swim bladder, it is able to fight a fisherman longer without getting tired. Anyone who has lost a Tarpon after a lengthy fight can tell you, all you can do is “bow to the king” as it swims away. |
| Website or Journal Article for More Information | https://www.tarponfish.com/tarpon-facts/ |
| Your Name | Steve Lochmann |