MISSION STATEMENT
PROTECT, PRESERVE, AND RESTORE wild NATIVE FISH POPULATIONS THROUGH STEWARDSHIP OF THE FISH AND THEIR HABITATS
GEORGIA NATIVE FISHES
Georgia is home to 500,000 acres of lakes, 12,000 miles of warm water streams and 4,000 miles of trout streams. This diverse range of aquatic habitat is home to a variety of warmwater and coldwater native fishes. Like other southeastern states, Georgia has a robust and diverse native fish assemblage. The state is home to 265 native species of freshwater fish, the third highest in the United States behind Alabama and Tennessee only. This includes the southernmost populations of native brook trout in the world which are found in the Blue Ridge Mountains, three species of bass (redeye, Chattahoochee, and Tallapoosa) found across 14 river basins, three species of bass found only in Georgia and small portions of neighboring states (Bartram’s, Suwannee, and shoal), as well as shortnose sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon, and striped bass which migrate from the ocean into coastal rivers. Georgia is also home to five species of fish that occur nowhere else in the world: Ocmulgee shiner, Altamaha shiner, Chattahoochee sculpin, Etowah Darter, and Cherokee Darter. Georgia’s state fish is the largemouth bass, the state cold water game fish is the Southern Appalachian brook trout, and the state saltwater fish is the red drum.
Status, Threats, and Conservation
Like most other states, Georgia’s native fishes face many threats and challenges including angler exploitation, state-sponsored and private trout stocking, habitat degradation, pollution, development, climate change, and nonnative invasive fish introductions. Five species of fish that once lived in Georgia are classified as locally extirpated and may no longer be found in Georgia: Gulf sturgeon, the spotfin chub, harelip sucker, yellowfin madtom, and the ashy darter. Five other species are listed as Endangered at the Federal level: Shortnose Sturgeon, Atlantic Sturgeon, Etowah Darter, Amber Darter, and Conasauga Logperch. Eight other species are listed as Threatened at the Federal level: Gulf Sturgeon, Blue Shiner, Spotfin Chub, Cherokee Darter, Trispot Darter, Yellowfin Madtom, Goldline Darter, and the Snail Darter. Another 58 species of fish are protected under Georgia’s Endangered Wildlife Act.
GEORGIA nfc board
Below is our Georgia State Board. This dedicated group of volunteers are our "boots on the ground" in Georgia, home to a number of unique and at-risk species of stream-resident bass, the southernmost wild native brook trout in the world, and other rare wild native fish.
GEORGIA nfc ADvisory CounCil
Below is our Georgia Advisory Council. This group of volunteers represents a veritable all-star team of subject matter expertise and hands-on experience. They work with the Georgia board to identify areas in need of attention, while providing technical assistance.
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Please support these best-in-class businesses as they have supported the Georgia chapter of NFC and our wild native fish.
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GARRISON FORRESTER grew up in Cartersville, Georgia, along the…