One hundred species from Scottish venues?

A couple of captures on trips a couple of months ago put the idea in my head of trying to catch one hundred species of fish from Scottish venues. It would be a great achievement but is reaching this target even possible? First of all I had to figure out how many I had already caught. Looking back over my records I've compiled the following lists of what I've caught from Scottish venues.

Saltwater species.

Atlantic Horse Mackerel Ballan Wrasse Bass Black Goby Black Mouthed Dogfish Butterfish Coalfish Cod Common Blenny Common Dragonet Common Eel Common Goby Conger Eel Corkwing Wrasse Cuckoo Ray Cuckoo Wrasse Dab European Smelt/Sparling Fifteen Spined Stickleback Five Bearded Rockling Flapper Skate Flounder Golden Grey Mullet Goldsinny Wrasse Greater Sandeel/Launce Greater Spotted Dogfish/Bull Huss Grey Gurnard Haddock Herring Hooknose/Pogge/Armed Bullhead Leopard Spotted Goby Lesser Sandeel

Lesser Spotted Dogfish Lesser Weever Ling Long Spined Sea Scorpion Mackerel Painted Goby Plaice Pollock Poor Cod Pouting/Bib Red Gurnard Rock Cook Wrasse Rock Goby Sand Goby Sand Smelt Shore Rockling Short Spined Sea Scorpion Spotted Ray Spurdog Starry Smoothhound Tadpole Fish Thick Lipped Grey Mullet Thornback Ray Tompot Blenny Tope Tub Gurnard Turbot Two Spotted Goby Viviparous Blenny Whiting Yarrell's Blenny

Saltwater species tallied up I've caught sixty three in total of those. Moving on to freshwater species things get a little bit complicated. The issue lies with the classification of freshwater fish because in some cases we give different strains, variations or even hybrids of species their own common name. Carp strains are perhaps the most obvious example. Technically a common carp is the same species as a mirror carp which is the same species as a leather carp which is the same species as a ghost carp which, believe it or not, is also the same species as a koi carp. A similar issue arises with rainbow, blue and golden trout the last two are simply rainbow trout that carry a genetic mutation that affects their colouration. Tench and golden tench are also technically variations of the same species as are ide, golden orfe and blue orfe. F1 carp and tiger trout fall into a different category both being hybrids.

The question I ask myself is should these strains, variations and hybrids be counted separately? Is the goal achievable if they are not? It would certainly become more difficult. Below I've split the freshwater species into three separate columns based on three ways to count what I've caught. If I count strains/variations separately and include hybrids I am currently on ninety one species and I think the goal is attainable. If I don't count strains/variations separately but still include hybrids then I am currently on eighty six and the challenge become harder. Finally, if I don't count strains/variations separately and also exclude hybrids then I am currently on eighty four and the challenge becomes very difficult indeed. My thoughts at the moment are I'm going to count the variations and hybrids separately, if I reach one hundred I will keep hunting and try to reach one hundred again taking the variations out. Finally I'll try and catch one hundred with no variations and hybrids excluded as well.

Freshwater species.
Variations counted individually and hybrids included.	Variations counted together and hybrids included.	Variations counted together and hybrids excluded.
Arctic Char Atlantic Salmon Blue Orfe Blue Trout Bream Brown Trout Bullhead Chub Common Carp Dace F1 Carp Golden Orfe Golden Tench Gudgeon Grayling Ide Minnow Mirror Carp Perch Pike Powan Rainbow Trout Roach Rudd Ruffe Tench Tiger Trout Three Spined Stickleback	Arctic Char Atlantic Salmon Bream Brown Trout Bullhead Chub Common Carp Mirror Carp Dace F1 Carp Gudgeon Grayling Ide Golden Orfe Blue Orfe Minnow Perch Pike Powan Rainbow Trout Blue Trout Roach Rudd Ruffe Tench Golden Tench Tiger Trout Three Spined Stickleback	Arctic Char Atlantic Salmon Bream Brown Trout Bullhead Chub Common Carp Mirror Carp Dace Gudgeon Grayling Ide Golden Orfe Blue Orfe Minnow Perch Pike Powan Rainbow Trout Blue Trout Roach Rudd Ruffe Tench Golden Tench Three Spined Stickleback
Total = 91.	Total = 86.	Total = 84.

Looking at what I haven't caught and what I can add I think I'll be doing a fair amount of course fishing next year with barbel, crucian carp and sturgeon being the focus of my efforts. In saltwater the three bearded rockling is the only species I haven't already caught that springs to mind that I think can realistically be deliberately targeted although a Porbeagle shark from a boat is another possibility in that respect. Adding new saltwater species to my tally will require a lot of luck although many photos have been taken by underwater photographers around St Abbs Head of several fairly unusual species so I may find myself down there in the summer trying to get lucky. There is also a resident population of Atlantic wolffish around St Abbs Head too and I'd love to catch one of those!

Tight lines, Scott.