Are channel catfish endangered?

What is the impact of the channel catfish introduction?

Impact of Introduction: The Channel Catfish hybridizes with the threatened Yaqui catfish I. pricei in Mexico (U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1994). Colorado pikeminnow Ptychocheilus lucius, an endangered species, have been documented to choke on introduced Channel Catfish when attempting to eat them.

What are the Predators of channel catfish?

Young channel catfish are vulnerable to predation by insects, other fish and fish-eating birds. Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo), herons (Ardea herodias) and pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) cause serious losses on catfish farms (Glahn et al., 1995; King et al., 1995; Wywialowski, 1999; Glahn et al., 2002).

Is the channel catfish an alien fish species?

Savini et al. (2010)identified the channel catfish as one of 27 aquatic alien fish species, first introduced to Europe in 1900 for the purpose of food production and sport fishing, with established feral populations in four countries not identified in the report.

Do introduced channel catfish pose a threat to the environment?

Introduced channel catfish can exert a major negative effect on populations of native and endangered species, and commercial fisheries, through competition for food, habitat or through predation.

What are the characteristics of a channel catfish?

The channel catfish has a stout, cylindrical body with a broad flattened head and large terminal mouth, the upper jaw extending or protruding beyond the lower jaw. It has eight long and unequal barbels around its mouth, 4 are on the chin, 2 on the snout and one in both corners of the mouth.

Why was the Channel Catfish introduced to Europe?

It was introduced to Europe for the purpose of aquaculture in the 1990s (Elvira and Almodovar, 2001); in Italy for instance, the channel catfish was introduced to increase the source of aquatic food and as a resource for the sport fishing sector (Copp et al., 2005). Distribution Table Top of page

What eats channel catfish?

Adult channel catfish are eaten by larger fishes like the flathead catfish. Generally only larger fishes can eat them because the chance of getting spined by the channel catfish deters other predators . Young catfish have many predators including other fish and birds.

Do channel catfish predate on crayfish?

Channel Catfish predation on crayfish resulted in a great loss of crayfish density in mesocosm experiments, and is likely the cause of native crayfish population decline in natural habitats where the Channel Catfish has been introduced (Adams 2007). Remarks: Tyus et al. (1982) gave a distribution map for this species in the upper Colorado basin.

Where do channel catfish live in the US?

Channel Catfish have also been stocked in many native areas including Arkansas (Robison and Buchanan 1988); Illinois (Burr, personal communication); Nebraska (Jones 1963). Harlan et al. (1987) stated that stocking in Iowa has widened this species’ distribution.

How many types of catfish are there in the world?

The channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) is a member of the family Ictaluridae in the order Siluriformes. Members of the order can be found in fresh and salt waters throughout the world. According to Wellborn (1988), there are at least 39 species of catfish in North America.

Where do channel catfish come from?

Channel catfish are native to the Nearctic, being well distributed in lower Canada and the eastern and northern United States, as well as parts of northern Mexico. They have also been introduced into some waters of landlocked Europe (Czech Republic and Romania) and parts of Malaysia and almost as many parts of Indonesia.

What kind of catfish are used for aquaculture?

In the world, a few major species are widely used for aquaculture, including channel catfish, blue catfish, walking catfish, shark catfish, Thai catfish, and African catfish. Channel catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus) is the major aquaculture species in the United States.

Is channel catfish an invasive species?

The popularity of channel catfish for food has contributed to the rapid expansion of aquaculture of this species in the United States. It has also been widely introduced in Europe, Asia and South America, and it is legally considered an invasive species in many countries.

What is the average size of a channel catfish?

Channel catfish reach a length of about 2.6 inches in the first year. Adults are usually 12 to 32 inches long and weigh 0.8 to 15 pounds. What do they eat? Channel catfish eat a wide variety of foods including fish, insects, crayfish, mollusks, and plant material.

Where are Channel Cats found in the United States?

It is the official fish of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a “channel cat”. In the United States, they are the most fished catfish species with around 8 million anglers targeting them per year.

What are the Big Three catfish species?

How to identify the “Big Three” catfish species, blue catfish, channel catfish and flathead catfish and their basic habitats and behaviors to help you in your quest to catch more and bigger catfish.

Where do channel catfish spawn?

They seek cavities near shore, usually in 6 to 12 feet of water, in which to spawn when the water temperature reaches 70°F. In rivers, adult channel catfish are found in the larger pools and deeper holes.

Where do channel catfish live in Iowa?

Channel catfish are found in nearly all Iowa lakes, ponds, streams and rivers. They are the most abundant game fish in our nearly 20,000 miles of interior streams. If playback doesn’t begin shortly, try restarting your device.

Are catfish good for aquaponics?

Catfish are also part of many stocking programs and pay to fish lake programs so there are numerous case studies and research available. This article will focus on how and why to raise and breed the best tasting catfish in aquaponics.

What is the difference between tilapia and catfish?

Catfish is a familiar fish that many people are happy to eat In aquaculture they can take extremely high stocking density There is only one disadvantage to using catfish in aquaculture and that is their relatively slow growth rates compared to tilapia.

How much do channel catfish weigh?

In natural waters, on an average channel catfish weighing 2-3 pounds is common. They do not reach 1 pound in size until they are 2 to 4 years old. The highest recorded weight of channel catfish is about 58 pounds, and sometimes ones weighing 50 pounds aren’t a rarity either.

What is the largest type of catfish in Virginia?

Channel Catfish. Channel Catfish is also known as channel cat in North America and close relative of the blue catfish. The channel catfish species is one of the largest fish found in Northern Virginia. Tiger Shovel Nose Catfish. Tiger Shovelnose Catfish is one of the largest species of South American catfish, found in the Amazon and Orinoco.

How much food does a catfish need to spawn?

Consider that a 10 pound channel catfish requires a little over a half pound of food per day has not eaten in say 10 days. That means that this fish is roughly six pounds short on food intake. That coupled with the expanded energy requirements of the spawn itself.

Are there catfish in the Iowa River?

This species is more common in large rivers than streams. Like the other catfish species in Iowa, these fish are highly sought after by anglers. It is viewed as apparently secure according to the Iowa Wildlife Action Plan.