150 Fish Nominations

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 are 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 150^th 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.

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FULL LIST OF NOMINATED FISH

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Catchy Title	Copper and Gold
Common Name of Fish	Gila Trout
Scientific Name of Fish	Oncorhynchus gilae
Image of Fish
Image Caption and Credit	Arizona Game and Fish Department
Description of Why This Fish Is Important/Interesting	One of the rarest trout species in the United States, Gila Trout are endemic to high elevation streams in portions of the Gila River and San Francisco River drainages in Arizona and New Mexico. Although Gila Trout are believed to have once been wide spread across Arizona and New Mexico, their range was reduced to four streams in the Gila River headwaters in New Mexico by the 1950s. However, thanks to recovery efforts, there are now 20 populations of Gila Trout across Arizona and New Mexico. Gila Trout, with their beautiful iridescent gold sides that blend to a dark shade of copper and small profuse spots above the lateral line are one of the beautiful treasures of the Southwest. Their aggressive nature and scarcity has made them a highly sought after prize for trout anglers from around the globe.
Website or Journal Article for More Information	https://westernnativetrout.org/gila-trout/
Your Name	Zachary Beard