NORTH CAROLINA, USA — Attention fisherfolk: Have you ever caught a fish, but been stumped unable to identify the species?
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is publicizing a tool that allows people to browse an online list of common fish in the state by photo and species.
The free public web page, called Species Profiles, features more than 50 fish in beautiful, clear color photos.
From Atlantic Bonito to Yellow Snapper and dozens in between, the site is certainly one that avid fishers should bookmark for their next trip to the lake or sea.
Even better -- if you're still unable to identify the fish you've caught, NCDEQ says you can take a photo and email some information including where you caught it to ncfishidhelp@ncdenr.gov, and an expert staff member with the Division of Marine Fisheries will help you identify the mystery fish, according to their site.
NCDEQ shared information about the tool in a recent social media post:
There are 234 freshwater species of fish known in North Carolina, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
"Of these, 223 are described species and another 11 are not fully described, yet are different from the described species," N.C. Wildlife writes.
If you think you've caught a record-sized fish, you can reach out to the state to see if your catch is indeed record-breaking.
