e-ReferenceDesk's College and 50 State Learning Resource Guide

Find Online Colleges

Find Campus Colleges

State Fish Designations

State Symbols

Many state fish were chosen in recognition of sport fishing’s overall recreational and economic contributions made to the state, and that of the specific values of the fish as a game or food fish.

US Official State Fishes

Official State Fish Designations of the 50 US States

Awarding ribbons in the Official State Fish symbol category was not difficult when we didn't pay too much attention to conflicting popular and scientific names. Of course four states have no official state fish at all: Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, and Ohio. Iowa has an un-official state fish. Other states have designated two Official State Fish, distinguishing them with labels such as Warm water, Coldwater, Saltwater or Marine, Sport, and Commercial. Some states have managed to walk away with two ribbons in the competition, picking two of the most popular official state fish.

US Official State Fish Designations

State	Fish	Binomial nomenclature	As	Year
Alabama	Largemouth bass	Micropterus salmoides	fresh water	1975
Alabama	Fighting tarpon	Megalops atlanticus	salt water	1955
Alaska	King salmon	Oncorhynchus tshawytscha		1962
Arizona	Arizona trout	Salmo apache		1986
Arkansas
California	Golden trout	Oncorhynchus mykiss (subspecies aguabonita)	fresh water	1947
California	Garibaldi	Hypsypops rubicundus	salt water	1995
Colorado	Greenback cutthroat trout	Oncorhynchus clarki (subspecies stomias)		1994
Connecticut	American shad	Alosa sapidissima		2003
Delaware	Weakfish	Cynoscion genus		1981
Florida	Florida largemouth bass	Micropterus salmoides (subspecies floridanus)	fresh water	2007
Florida	Atlantic sailfish	Istiophorus albicans	salt water	2007
Georgia	Largemouth bass	Micropterus salmoides		1970
Hawaii	Humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa	Rhinecanthus rectangulus		2006
Idaho	Cutthroat trout	Oncorhynchus clarki		1990
Illinois	Bluegill	Lepomis macrochirus		1986
Indiana
Iowa (un-official)	Channel catfish	Ictalurus punctatus
Kansas
Kentucky	Kentucky spotted bass	Micropterus punctulatus		1956
Louisiana	White crappie	Pomoxis annularis	fresh water	1993
Louisiana	Spotted Sea Trout or Speckled Trout	Cynoscion nebulosus	salt water	2001
Maine	Landlocked Atlantic salmon	Salmo salar Sebago		1969
Maryland	Rockfish	Morone saxatilis		1965
Massachusetts	Cod	Gadus morhua		1974
Michigan	Brook trout	Salvelinus fontinalis		1988
Minnesota	Walleye	Stizostedion vitreum vitreum		1965
Mississippi	Largemouth bass	Micropterus salmoides		1974
Missouri	Channel catfish	Ictalurus punctatus	fish	1997
Missouri	Paddlefish	Polyodon spathula	aquatic animal	1997
Montana	Blackspotted cutthroat trout	Salmo clarki		1987
Nebraska	Channel catfish	Ictalurus punctatus		1997
Nevada	Lahontan cutthroat trout	Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi		1981
New Hampshire	Brook trout	Salvelinus fontinalis	fresh water	1994
New Hampshire	Striped bass	Morone saxatilis	salt water game	1972
New Jersey	Brook trout	Salvelinus fontinalis		1991
New Mexico	Cutthroat trout	Oncorhynchus clarki virginalis		1955
New York	Brook trout	Salvelinus fontinalis		1975
New York	Striped bass	Morone saxatilis	marine	2006
North Carolina	Channel Bass	Sciaenops ocellatus	salt water
North Carolina	Southern Appalachian brook trout	Salvelinus fontinalis	fresh water trout	2005
North Dakota	Northern pike	Esox lucius		1971
Ohio
Oklahoma	White Bass	Morone chrysops		1974
Oregon	Chinook Salmon	Oncorhynchus tshawytscha		1981
Pennsylvania	Brook trout	Salvelinus fontinalis		1970
Rhode Island	Striped Bass	Morone saxatilis		2000
South Carolina	Striped bass	Morone saxatilis		1972
South Dakota	Walleye	Stizostedion vitreum		1982
Tennessee	Channel catfish	Ictalurus punctatus	commercial	1988
Tennessee	Largemouth bass	Micropterus salmoides	sport	1988
Texas	Guadalupe bass	Micropterus treculi		1989
Utah	Bonneville cutthroat trout	Oncorhynchus clarki utah		1977
Vermont	Brook trout	Salvelinus fontinalis	cold water	1978
Vermont	Walleye	Stizosedion vitreum vitreum	warm water	1978
Virginia	Brook trout	Salvelinus fontinalis		1993
Washington	Steelhead trout	Oncorhynchus mykiss		1969
West Virginia	Brook trout	Salvelinus fontinalis		1973
Wisconsin	Muskellunge	Esox masquinongy masquinongy Mitchell		1955
Wyoming	Cutthroat trout	Salmo clarki		1987
Wyoming	Knightia	Knightia eocaena	fossil	1987

State Fishes

This is a list of official and *unofficial U.S. state fish: The only states lacking a state fish as of 2008 are Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, and Ohio.

fish ('fish)
n. pl. fish or fish·es

1. Any of numerous cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates of the superclass Pisces, characteristically having fins, gills, and a streamlined body and including specifically:: a. Any of the class Osteichthyes, having a bony skeleton.
b. Any of the class Chondrichthyes, having a cartilaginous skeleton and including the sharks, rays, and skates.
2. The flesh of such animals used as food. 3. Any of various primitive aquatic vertebrates of the class Cyclostomata, lacking jaws and including the lampreys and hagfishes. 4. Any of various unrelated aquatic animals, such as a jellyfish, cuttlefish, or crayfish.