Rough fish is a term used by some U.S. state agencies and anglers to describe fish that are less desirable to sport anglers within a limited region. The term usually refers to larger fish species that are not commonly eaten, are too rare to be commonly encountered, or are not sought by anglers for sporting purposes. Many of these species are very important in the commercial fishing industry, where they make up the bulk of commercial food fish catches in inland fresh waters.
Subjectivity
There is no standard list of rough fishes. A fish that is considered a rough fish in one region may be considered a desirable game and food fish in another, often due to cultural differences or simply tradition. For example, the common carp is considered an undesirable rough fish in the United States and Australia, but is the premier game fish of continental Europe and the single most important food fish across most of Asia. Furthermore, some rough fish become game fish over time, as different angling methods, sporting opportunities, and ways to consume fish evolve. In the US, the longnose gar is considered a rough fish and undesirable nuisance in Ohio, but in Louisiana, it is considered tasty by many locals. Due to the many small bones, it is rarely filleted, but instead is usually rolled with seasonings into "gar balls" and fried.
Native versus exotic
Many US state agencies use the term as a catch-all term to combine both under-appreciated native fish species with problem invasive species.This creates confusion about the endemism of species native to North America. For example, some "rough fishes" are exotic species that have been transplanted into North American waters from other continents either intentionally or unintentionally. Other "rough fishes" are native species that can be confused with carp because they look superficially similar. Because all of these native fish are lumped together with invasive species as "rough" in many states, the public is quick to label and treat them all as invasive, or as "carp". Still other rough fishes are native fishes completely unlike carp, but are categorized as such because they are underused or unpopular. In North America native "rough fish" such as suckers have historically been scapegoated for human environmental destruction and its impacts on popular fish species such as pacific salmon and smallmouth bass. They have also been seen by some fisheries managers as inferior to introduced species such as brown trout for aesthetic reasons.
Origin of the term
The first reference to the term "rough" as applied to fish is in the historical work "A History of Fish and Fishing on the Upper Mississippi River" by Carlander. To summarize: In the mid-to-late 19th century, commercial fishermen in the Central United States often netted and processed large quantities of river fish in their boats for sale, particularly in the Mississippi River. They would then travel many miles up or down river to deliver these fish to market. In hot summer weather, the slow, heavily loaded boats often had to be lightened quickly to ensure that the entire catch did not become spoiled before reaching market. The common practice of the time was to save the fully processed fish, since these commanded a higher price at market. Rough-dressed fish were discarded to lighten the boat, by dumping the carcasses into the river. Thus, originally a "rough fish" was a fish of any species that had been only partly processed and which could not be sold for full price. The term subsequently evolved into a derogatory term for any fish that was undesirable or unpopular.
Variations
The term coarse fish is used in the United Kingdom to describe all fishes besides trout and salmon, but it is not a derogatory term. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has made preliminary efforts to replace the term "rough fish" with "underused fish", like some other state agencies have actually done, but this has remained an incomplete effort in Minnesota. The slang term "trash fish" is used in some areas, but because it is deemed "slang" it is not accepted by most working directly in the industry, including fishermen.
Prospects
Many rough fish species are federally endangered, threatened, candidate, or species of concern. These native American fishes have limited and declining populations and are at risk of extinction. Because of this, they are listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act. Some rough fishes listed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service are:
