MADISON - George C. Becker's "Fishes of Wisconsin" is the first comprehensive survey of the state's fish species and the environmental challenges they face. Published by the University of Wisconsin Press in 1983, it remains the seminal reference to 157 fish species found in Wisconsin, many which are also found throughout much of the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River basins.

Becker's approach to documenting both the fish species and the management of fish ecosystems was a model for others; "American Zoologist" magazine called it one of the best books of its kind ever written.