As national symbols, fishes can’t compete with birds and mammals. However, a few countries have adopted official fishes, and they are very popular among the 50 U.S. states as well as Canada and Australia.
Let’s take a brief tour of these fishes of state.
National ˆ
U.S. State ˆ
| List of State Fishes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Species | Designation | |
| Alabama | largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) | Fresh Water Fish | 1975 |
| (fighting) tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) | Salt Water Fish | 1955 | |
| Alaska | king salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) | 1961 | |
| Arizona | Arizona trout (Oncorhynchus apache) | 1986 | |
| California | golden trout (Oncorhynchus aguabonita) | 1947 | |
| garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus) | Marine Fish | 1995 | |
| Colorado | greenback cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) | 1994 | |
| Connecticut | American shad (Alosa sapidissima) | 2003 | |
| Delaware | weakfish (Cynoscion) | 1981 | |
| Florida | largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) | Freshwater Fish | 1975 |
| sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) | Saltwater Fish | 1975 | |
| Georgia | largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) | 1970 | |
| Hawaii | Humuhumunukunukuapua`a or Hawaiian trigger fish (Rhinecanthus rectangulus) | 1985 | |
| Idaho | cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) | 1990 | |
| Illinois | bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) | 1986 | |
| Indiana | (none) | ||
| Kansas | channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) | 2003 | |
| Kentucky | Kentucky spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus) | 1956 | |
| Louisiana | spotted weakfish (Cynoscion nebulosus) | 2001 | |
| white perch (crappie) (Pomoxis annularis) | Freshwater Fish | 1993 | |
| Maine | landlocked salmon (Salmo salar) | 1969 | |
| brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | Heritage Fish | 2005 | |
| blueback charr (Salvelinus alpinus oquassa) | Heritage Fish | 2007 | |
| Maryland | rockfish or striped bass (Morone saxatilis) | 1965 | |
| Massachusetts | cod (Gadus morhua) | 1974 | |
| Michigan | brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | 1988 | |
| Minnesota | walleye (Sander vitreus) | 1965 | |
| Mississippi | largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) | 1974 | |
| Missouri | channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) | 1997 | |
| paddlefish or spoonbill (Polyodon spathula) | Aquatic Animal | 1997 | |
| Montana | blackspotted cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) | 1977 | |
| Nebraska | channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) | 1997 | |
| Nevada | Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) | 1981 | |
| New Hampshire | brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | Freshwater Fish | 1994 |
| striped bass (Morone saxatilis) | Saltwater Game Fish | 1994 | |
| New Jersey | brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | 1991 | |
| New Mexico | New Mexico or Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) | 1955 | |
| New York | brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | Freshwater Fish | 1975 |
| New York | striped bass (Morone saxatilis) | Marine or Saltwater Fish | 2006 |
| North Carolina | channel bass or red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) | 1971 | |
| Southern Appalachian brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | Freshwater Trout | 2005 | |
| North Dakota | northern pike (Esox lucius) | 1969 | |
| Ohio | (none) | ||
| Oklahoma | white bass, or sand bass (Morone chrysops) | 1974 | |
| Oregon | Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) | 1961 | |
| Pennsylvania | brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | 1970 | |
| Rhode Island | striped bass (Morone saxatilis) | 2000 | |
| South Carolina | striped bass (Morone saxatilis) | 1972 | |
| South Dakota | walleye (Sander vitreus) | 1982 | |
| Tennessee | small mouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) | Sport Fish | 2005 |
| channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) | Commercial Fish | 1988 | |
| (former | largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) | Sport Fish | 1988 |
| Texas | Guadalupe bass (Micropterus treculii) | 1989 | |
| red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) | Saltwater Fish | 2011 | |
| Utah | Bonneville cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) | 1997 | |
| Vermont | brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | Cold Water Fish | 1978 |
| walleye (Sander vitreus) | Warm Water Fish | 1978 | |
| Virginia | brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | 1993 | |
| striped bass (Morone saxatilis) | Saltwater Fish | 2011 | |
| Washington | steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) | 1969 | |
| West Virginia | brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | 1973 | |
| Wisconsin | muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) | 1955 | |
| Wyoming | cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) | 1987 | |
Canada ˆ
| List of Provincial Fishes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Province | Species | |
| Alberta | bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) | 1995 |
| British Columbia | Pacific salmon Salmonidae | 2013 |
| Manitoba | walleye (Sander vitreus) | 2014 |
| Northwest Territories | Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) | 1999 |
| Nova Scotia | brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | 2006 |
Japan ˆ
| List of Prefectural Fishes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Prefecture | Symbol | |
| Aomori | Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) | |
| Chiba | red seabream (Pagrus major) | 1989 |
| Ehime | seabream (Pagrus) | |
| Gifu | ayu, sweet fish (Plecoglossus altivelis) | |
| Gunma | ayu, sweeet fish (Plecoglossus altivelis) | |
| Ibaraki | flatfish (species?) | |
| Iwate | cherry salmon (Oncorhynchus masou masou) | |
| Kagawa | Japanese amberjack, yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata) | |
| Okinawa | double lined fusilier (Pterocaesio digramma) | |
| Saitama | Amur stickleback? (Pungitius sinensis sinensis) | |
| Tottori | flatfish (species?) | 1990 |
| Wakayama | tuna (Scombridae) | |
| Yamaguchi | Japanese pufferfish (Takifugu rubripes) | |
Other Fish Symbols ˆ
Check back now and then; I will be adding more lists for some time.
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