Channel Catfish

Nebraska's state fish, the channel catfish, lives in lakes and larger rivers. A popular sport fish, the catfish locates food by probing with sensitive whisker-like projections called barbels. Channel catfish eat insects, fish, frogs, and plants.

In 1997 Sandra Perry's Valley, Nebraska, fourth-grade class got the legislature to change the process of selecting state symbols. Now the governor, instead of the legislature, chooses state symbols. The state fish became the first state symbol chosen by this new process.