Tennessee State Fish
Largemouth Bass (common name) Micropterus salmoides (scientific name) Overview The largemouth bass is highly prized as a sport fish for its size and fighting ability. It lives in clear, quiet, vegetation-rich waters, favoring water shallower than 2.5 meters. Abundant vegetation provides protection against predators and also harbors prey, which the bass ambushes from spots where it lies in wait. This fish was designated the official state sport fish of Tennessee in 1987. The largemouth bass is also the state fish of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, and the state freshwater fish of Florida. Close-up STATUS Official PHYSICAL DETAILS Length: Up to 21 inches (53 cm) Weight: Up to 25 pounds (11 kg) LIFESPAN Up to 15 years HABITAT Range: Its native range runs north as far as Hudson Bay, west to the Rockies, and south through Florida and into northern Mexico. Its introduced range includes areas of the U.K., Europe, Russia, the Middle East, North Africa, the western half of the continental U.S., Caribbean territories, South America, Asia, Southeast Asia, Hawaii, Mauritius, Madagascar, Fiji, Guam, New Caledonia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Water type: Freshwater Water temp: 68-72°F Conservation Status: Least Concern DIET Younger largemouth consume mostly small baitfish, amphipods, and insects. Adults consume smaller fish, crawfish, frogs, snakes, salamanders, bats and even small water birds, mammals, and baby alligators. In larger lakes and reservoirs, adult bass occupy deeper water than younger fish and shift to a diet consisting almost entirely of smaller fish like shad, trout, ciscoes, shiners, and sunfish. Prey can be as large as 25 to 35% of the bass' body length. REPRODUCTION Fertilization: External Spawning frequency: Once each year Mating behavior: Distinct pairing Egg laying: Female will lay 2,000–7,000 eggs either in one nest or in several nests. USES Extremely popular sport fish OTHER NAMES Wide mouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucket mouth, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, line sides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth and northern largemouth. TRIVIA Introduced bass affect populations of small native fishes through predation, sometimes resulting in the decline or extinction of such species. Studies have shown that largemouth bass are capable of displacing native species, even predatory species such as northern pike.
	Click to enlarge an image Detailed Drawing of Largemouth Bass Largemouth Bass Largemouth Bass Showing Size of Mouth Juvenile Largemouth Bass CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Perciformes Family: Centrarchidae Genus: Micropterus Species: M. salmoides
	Raw Data Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Author: World Trade Press

Tennessee State Fish
Channel Catfish (common name) Ictalurus punctatus (scientific name) Status: official Overview North America's most numerous catfish, the channel catfish, is a whiskered bottom-feeder and one of the country’s largest fish. It has very flavorful meat, which makes it a favorite of both anglers and fish farmers who raise millions of the fish every year. In 1997, the channel catfish was adopted as the official state fish of Nebraska and Missouri, and the state commercial fish of Tennessee. This bottom-dwelling fish is olive brown to slate blue on the back and sides with many small black spots and a silver-white belly. Channel catfish and blue catfish are distinguished from other "flathead catfish" by their deeply forked tail fin, their large size, and an upper jaw that projects over the lower jaw. Channel catfish have a very acute sense of smell and can detect odors as diluted as 1 part per 100 million in water. Close-up PHYSICAL DETAILS Length: Up to 4 ft (130 cm);average of 2 ft (65 cm) Weight: Up to 58 lbs (26 kg);average of 3 lbs (1.4 kg) LIFESPAN Up to 14 years HABITAT Large, deep streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and ponds—especially those with slow-moving water and sand, gravel, or rubble bottoms. Channel catfish are most abundant in large rivers with low or moderate current. Range: Throughout the eastern and central United States (apart from most of the coastal plain north of Florida), southern Canada, and parts of northern Mexico. Water type: Fresh and occasionally brackish Water temp: 75-80°F (24-26°C) Conservation Status: Secure DIET Channel catfish eat insect larvae, small fish, freshwater shrimp, snails, crayfish, frogs, crabs, mollusks, and aquatic plants. They locate food through their keen senses of smell and taste, as well as by probing the bottom with their "whiskers." REPRODUCTION Fertilization: External Spawning frequency: May-June Mating behavior: Distinct pairing Egg laying: Males select nest sites and guard the eggs. Nests are built in undercut riverbanks, tree roots, drift piles, under rock ledges, or in sunken debris. The female deposits a mass of 2,000 to 21,000 golden eggs at the bottom of the nest. The male will then fertilize the eggs, and the eggs will hatch in 6 to 10 days, depending on water temperature. USES Sport fishing, aquaculture OTHER NAMES Channel cat, Great Lakes catfish, willow cat, forked-tail cat, spotted cat, lady cat TRIVIA Catfish are named for the "barbels" on their mouth that look like cat's whiskers. Young channel catfish are called "fiddlers." In the United States, some eight million anglers pursue channel catfish every year. The popularity of channel catfish as food directly contributed to the rapid growth of aquaculture of this species in the United States. Catfish do not have teeth and swallow their prey whole. Males may actually eat some of the eggs they are guarding if they are disturbed.
	Click to enlarge an image Illustration of Channel Catfish Whiskered Channel Catfish School of Juvenile Channel Catfish CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Siluriformes Family: Ictaluridae Genus: Ictalurus Species: I. punctatus
	Raw Data Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Author: World Trade Press