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

Find Online Colleges

Find Campus Colleges

State Fish

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.

California Symbols

California State Marine Fish

Garibaldi

(Hypsypops rubicundus)

Adopted in 1995.

In 1995, the Legislature acted to protect the Garibaldi , Hypsypops rubicundus, by placing a moratorium on commercial collection until the year 2002. They also named the garibaldi the official State Marine Fish.

Garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus) (Gov. sec. 425.6)
Designated in 1995 (Gov. sec. 425.6)

Description of the California State Marine Fish

A golden orange fish approximately 14 inches in length, the Garibaldi is most common in the shallow waters off the Southern California coast. Juvenile Garibaldi fish are typically less than 34cm in length and are reddish orange-yellow with bright blue spots. Occasionally, these iridescent blue spots and blotches can cover the body of the entire juvenile. Juveniles are typically mature adults by the time they have grown to be approximately 8 inches or are about five to six years old. (Sikkel, 1997)

Adult Garibaldi fish can grow to be nearly 17 inches long, however, few are larger than 12 inches. The longevity of a Garibaldi fish is, on average, between 13 and 18 years. Adult Garibaldi fish display a bright, golden orange color. This bright orange color is distinctive from all other fish in this area off the coast of California. This flashy color is thought to be a type of warning to other males indicating that the Garibaldi fish are fiercely territorial.

Both male and female Garibaldi fish are similar in appearance. The body of the Garibaldi fish is covered with large orange scales and displays a "deeply forked tailfin with rounded dorsal and ventral lobes of tips." The dorsal fin is comprised of "11-15 spines, 12-15 rays, and extends from above the insertion of the pectoral fin to the posterior of the base of the anal fin." (Bushing, 1995 and Sikkel, 1997)

When disturbed these fish emit a thumping sound which can be heard by divers. Although the garibaldi is not an endangered species, there is concern that commercial collection by the saltwater aquarium industry has reduced its numbers.

Taxonomic Hierarchy of the Garibaldi

Kingdom	Animalia -- animals
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Actinopterygii
Order	Perciformes
Suborder	Labroidei
Family	Pomacentridae
Genus	Hypsypops
Species	Hypsypops rubicundus

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.