Stripers Our National Fish????

[Darian]

Found a post by Dan Blanton on his website noting a proposal by an east coast member of Congress naming the Striped Bass our national fish. This act is titled, Striped Bass American Heritage Act of 2015. Interesting stuff. Check it out:

www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-bill-proclaims-striped-bass-our-national-fish-300073612.html

Dan asks that we all contact our congressional representatives to support this resolution. Now, before everyone goes crazy, take some time to read the article and digest it's real impacts/meaning. Not sure what, if any, changes will occur as a result of this proposal and remember that it's still only a proposal. It may not go anywhere (given that CA big AG interests will object).

[Larry S]

Darian,
Looks like a blatant promotion for Blanton's target fish. Striper, salmon. steelhead, brown, brook, cutthroat, shad, etc.
Are any a truly US fish? Forgive my ignorance. I have no idea which species might claim to be a USA fish from coast to coast and Mexico
to Canada. Maybe a carp. Why should we care; except for being the best stewards for our environment?
Best,
Larry S

[David Lee]

Only Atlantic Stripers will be allowed to be the National Fish - those Pacific ones are too busy eating Smelt/Salmon/small Children/smoking hubba/etc. . We will tell the two apart by accent .....

D.~

[Randy Lee]

David Lee, Is hubba a small bait fish? If so I would like to see the pattern so I could tie/roll some of my own. At my age the small children flies are just to hard to throw, so don't bother.
National fish..some type of pup fish seems logical.
Randy

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

https://youtu.be/owI0RzPlEcU

They have been trying hard to eliminate the West Coast Stripers so it might help.

[David Lee]

Hubba = street name for Crack in the old days . Not that I know much about Crack .....

I can only hope that Stripes becoming the National Fish will negate some of the boogyman status they seem to have here on the Left Coast .

D.~

[Charlie S]

While Striped Bass are a wonderful gamefish and I loved catching them from age six, about 64 years ago, I fail to understand the need for a "National Fish". If the issue is to provide protection then the proposal is automatically skewed towards special interest groups. Except for rainbow trout and subspecies, golden trout, salmonoids, and various non game fish I have difficulty in pin pointing anadromous and freshwater species native to California and the West coast that we regularly angle. Can anyone name any freshwater species native to all the U.S. states? Again, why the need for a national fish and what would be the cost to beleaguered taxpayers in taxes and fees to implement this program?

[David Lee]

Native to California -

Cold water -

Sturgeon (White and Green)
Rainbow Trout/Steelhead/Golden Trout (Kinda the same thing , yes ?)
Bull Trout (Char)
Cutthroat Trout (several subspecies)
Silver/Coho Salmon
King Salmon
(No idea if other Salmon species like Chums and Pinks are Native ....)

Warm water species -

Sacramento Perch
Squawfish/Pike-Minnow
White Catfish (????)

I'm pretty sure that that is it . Introduced/non-Native species are Carp/Largemouth/Smallmouth/Crappie/Yellow Perch/Striper/White Bass/Sunfish , other than Sac Perch/Other Trout/Channel and Blue Catfish/Shad . Want only Natives ?? You're going to have a really limited fishing season !

D.~

[Charlie S]

David, I'm not a native purist at all. In fact, I now live in central Oregon pursuing rainbows, Browns, cutts, Kokanee, steelhead, LM and SM bass, crappie. My point was two fold: (1) Why do we need a national fish, and (2) If we are to have one, why not a fish that is native to all the contiguous 48 states regardless of glamour?

[David Lee]

Mr. S. -

My point by naming all the Native California Fish was .....there ain't none of 'em Native to the whole lower-48 .

I don't think we need a national Fish , but is someone just HAS to name one .... why not Stripe ?? Maybe then they will be valued here in CA. more than they currently are ?

D.~ , who wishes he lived in central Oregon !

[Darian]

Hi Larry,.... Blanton has his pet projects, too. No problem letting someone else carry the load.... :D

Charlie S,.... I tend to agree with your point. I don't see why we need a national fish but it seems that politicians and a few others want a national/regional/state something or anything. Considering what this Congress has not accomplished, maybe it's the only thing they could all agree to not disagree on (makes as much sense as saying it any other way ;) ). But, it's not like we have time to debate things like this.

David,.... You left off some species of Pupfish. :cool:

[johnsquires]

A very strong case could be made for shad. For you readers out there, I highly recommend the book The Founding Fish by John McPhee.