MISSION STATEMENT
PROTECT, PRESERVE, AND RESTORE wild NATIVE FISH POPULATIONS THROUGH STEWARDSHIP OF THE FISH AND THEIR HABITATS
WEST VIRGINIA native fishes
West Virginia is home to miles of rivers and streams, and numerous lakes and ponds. The state is home to roughly 175 fish species across 24 different families. Approximately 20% are classified as gamefish, and 80% as nongame species. Seventy-five percent of the fish species found in West Virginia are from just five families: Carps and minnows (60), perch (31), suckers (18), bass and sunfish (14), catfish (12). Brook trout, West Virginia’s official State Fish, are the only trout, salmon, or charr that is native to the state. They persist mostly in small headwater streams, many of which are in the sprawling roughly 920,000-acre Monongahela National Forest in the east/central part of the state. Other native species include lake and shovelnose sturgeon; American paddlefish; longnose gar; bowfin; bigmouth, black, and smallmouth buffalo; black, golden, river, shorthead, and silver redhorse; bluegill, green, longear, orange spotted, pumpkinseed, redbreast, and redear sunfish; largemouth, rock, smallmouth, and spotted bass; black and white crappie; chain, grass, and redfin pickerel; muskellunge; walleye; and over two dozen species of darter.
status, threats, and conservation
West Virginia is one of a handful of states that does not have a state-level Endangered Species program or law. There are however two species of fish in the state that are listed as Endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA): Candy Darter (Etheostoma osburni) and diamond darter (Crystallaria cincotta). Wild native brook trout populations have been greatly reduced, and lost from most lakes, ponds, rivers, and large streams in West Virginia. In many cases, the introduction of nonnative brown trout and rainbow trout has compromised wild native brook trout. Stocking also poses a threat to wild native fish in West Virginia, including 25,000 hybrid tiger trout (a brook trout/brown trout cross) in 2021 alone, and thousands of pigment-deprived rainbow trout referred to as golden trout. Mining, especially coal, is also an issue in West Virginia, polluting many small headwater streams and leaving them virtually fishless.
WEST VIRGINIA nfc board
Below is our West Virginia State Board. This dedicated group of volunteers are our "boots on the ground" in West Virginia, home to miles of river and stream, numerous lakes and ponds, and a number of wild native fish species.
west virginia nfc ADvisory CounCil
Below is our West Virginia Advisory Council. This group of volunteers represents a veritable all-star team of subject matter expertise and hands-on experience. They work with the West Virginia board to identify areas in need of attention, while providing technical assistance.
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MICAH BATES is a proud West Virginian from Fayetteville…