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 | American Paddlefish - The "Lone" Polyodon |
|---|---|
| Common Name of Fish | American Paddlefish |
| Scientific Name of Fish | Polyodon spathula |
| Image of Fish |  |
| Image Caption and Credit | American Paddlefish - Brittanica |
| Description of Why This Fish Is Important/Interesting | The american paddlefish is one of 2 species of paddlefish on the planet. With an almost unknown fate of the Chinese paddlefish, these relic ancient fish represent a very unique freshwater species in the Western Hemisphere. Plus, what other fish is so cool. We are talking about a living dinosaur, swimming around filter feeding and looking ridiculous with a giant spoonbill, yet lovely and unique in every way. This is the only non sturgeon species in the order Acipensiformes as well, and since ALL sturgeon are also awesome, their "cousin" needs some recognition. Unappreciated for its contribution to the caviar industry as well, the paddlefish deserves a nomination! Our waters would be far less interesting without the American paddlefish gracing us, a giant ancient leviathan lurking beneath the ripples. |
| Website or Journal Article for More Information | https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Polyodon_spathula/ |
| Your Name | Lindsey Bock |