ASIH Supports NANFA Proposal To Make The Rainbow Darter The National Fish

NANFA has started a campaign to name the rainbow darter, Etheostoma caeruleum, as the national fish of the United States. We picked up our first group endorsement Sunday evening at the ASIH meeting in New Orleans. As president of NANFA I had submitted our resolution for consideration and endorsement at the ASIH Business Meeting. Since I had to leave Sunday afternoon, Peter Unmack represented NANFA at the Business Meeting and urged ASIH support for the motion. After brief discussion, ASIH voted in favor with a few dissenting votes. Several ASIH Board members apparently felt that the chances are poor for this actually happening, and if it did go forward the idea would be hijacked by "the catfish people" or largemouth bass supporters. Something like this really did happen in Kansas, where a proposal to make the Topeka Shiner the state fish was perverted into naming the channel catfish the state fish. This kind of relentless pressure for lowest common denominator politics is a real threat, but I think we should try. I hope readers are with us!