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 | Brook trout in the heartland: love them where they are native. |
|---|---|
| Common Name of Fish | Brook trout |
| Scientific Name of Fish | Salvelinus fontinalus |
| Image of Fish |  |
| Image Caption and Credit | Brook trout sampled in summer 2018 by Brett Kelly |
| Description of Why This Fish Is Important/Interesting | Brook trout are the only trout native to the paleozoic plateau of the Midwest, and despite being an invasive species out West with a catch and kill status in some states, these trout are considered a species of greatest conservation need in their native range in Iowa. This is because much of the streams they used to thrive in have been severely degraded by cattle grazing as well as agricultural runoff and the stocking of non-native species such as rainbow and brown trout. Recently however, these fish have been making a comeback. Both the Manchester, and the Decorah fish hatcheries have programs for stocking native brook trout, and there is much habitat restoration underway. The brook trout is representative of a new view of fisheries conservation. One of a native fish-minded approach, where managers take into account the welfare of the ecosystem as much as the fishery. And I mean c'mon! Just look at them, they're the world's prettiest trout and you can take that to the bank. |
| Website or Journal Article for More Information | https://www.iowadnr.gov/About-DNR/DNR-News-Releases/ArticleID/1824/Trout-thrive-again-in-two-northeast-Iowa-streams-thanks-to-improvements |
| Your Name | Sam Grinstead |