Ictalurus punctatus (channel catfish)

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Adult

Ictalurus punctatus (channel catfish); adult.

©Carole R. Engle

Identity

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Preferred Scientific Name

Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque, 1818)

Preferred Common Name

channel catfish

Other Scientific Names

Ictalurus anguilla Hildebrand and Towers, 1928
Ictalurus punctatus Hay, 1881
Silurus punctatus Rafinesque, 1818

International Common Names

English: catfish; catfish, channel; channel catfish; graceful catfish
Spanish: azul; bagre de canal
Russian: pyatnistyi

Local Common Names

Belarus: somik kanalnyj
Bulgaria: kanalen som
Canada: gatfish
Czech Republic: sumecek teckovany
Denmark: kanalmalle; plettet dværgmalle
Estonia: kanalisaga
Finland: pilkkupiikkimonni
France: barbue de rivière
Germany: getüpfelter gabelwels
Italy: pesce gatto punteggiato
Lithuania: katzuve
Mexico: azul; bagre de canal
Romania: somn de canal; somn patat
Sweden: prickig dvärgmal
USA: blue cat; chucklehead cat; fiddler; Great Lakes catfish; lady cat; lake catfish; northern catfish; spotted cat; spotted catfish; white cat; willow cat

Summary of Invasiveness

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I. punctatus, commonly known as the channel catfish, is a long slender fish with a native range extending from southern Canada and central USA to Mexico. Cultured worldwide, it has been introduced in more than 32 countries including Italy, Brazil, China, Japan and Russia for aquaculture and recreational fisheries. It has been introduced for aquaculture and recreational fisheries to over 32 countries, and widely throughout the USA, and has established itself in most waters to which it has been introduced. Its omnivorous, piscivorous and opportunistic feeding habit, high fecundity and tolerance to a range of extreme environmental conditions contribute to its success in establishing itself wherever it is introduced (Tucker and Hargreaves, 2004). 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. A study by Olden and Poff (2005) describes the channel catfish as one of the fastest expanding invaders in the Lower Colorado River Basin, with Hawkins and Nesler (1991) identifying it as one of the most invasive in terms of its negative impacts on native fish communities some years earlier.

Taxonomic Tree

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Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Metazoa
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Ictaluridae
Genus: Ictalurus
Species: Ictalurus punctatus

Notes on Taxonomy and Nomenclature

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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. Details of taxonomy and nomenclature can be found in the texts by Moyle (1976), Becker (1983), Jenkins and Burkhead (1994) and Etnier and Starnes (2001).

Description

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Detailed accounts of the physical features of I. punctatus can be found in the texts by Moyle (1976), Becker (1983) and Etnier and Starnes (2001). The adult channel catfish is blue, olive, grey or black on the upper part of its body, with dark spots along the flank and a white ventral surface. The colour appears to be dependent on the colour of the water it inhabits. In clear water it may appear almost black, while in muddy water it may be olive to a light yellowish-white. Young channel catfish have dark spots on their sides, the spots tending to fade or disappear in adults. Very large or very small individuals have fewer spots or lack them altogether. 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. It has a scale-free slimy body, an adipose fin and a deeply forked tail, with the top of the fin being larger than the rounded bottom portion. This deeply forked tail distinguishes the channel catfish from other catfishes except the blue catfish (I. furcatus). The dorsal and pectoral fins have spines while the curved anal fin has 24-29 rays. Taste buds are present on the interior of the mouth and over the body. Males generally have larger heads and a darker coloured body than females.

Distribution

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The channel catfish can live in fresh, salt and some brackish waters (Scott and Crossman, 1973). Its reported native distribution extends from the southern Canadian Prairie Provinces south to the Gulf States, west to the Rocky Mountains, and east to the Appalachian Mountains (Trautman, 1957; Miller, 1966; Scott and Crossman, 1973).

Although documented as being native to North America and southern Canada, according to Etnier and Starnes (2001), the exact native range of the channel catfish is uncertain. The northern boundary of its range on the Atlantic coastal plain is uncertain, with Page and Burr (1991) considering it possibly native to the Susquehanna River. According to Jenkins and Burkhead (1994) the channel catfish is native to the Florida peninsula, and introduced in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. In Canada, it is found in the St Lawrence River and its tributaries from southern Quebec through to Ontario including the Ottawa River and its tributaries, all the Great Lakes except Lake Superior, in southwestern Ontario and the southern part of Manitoba (Scott and Crossman, 1973). A listing of Ontario water bodies known to contain channel catfish as of January 2003 is given by Kerr (2003). Channel catfish have been widely introduced outside their native range and can today be found almost everywhere in the USA, in all the Pacific and Atlantic drainages (Scott and Crossman, 1973).

Imported to Europe in the nineteenth century, the channel catfish was eventually introduced to many countries around the world. It is now established in Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, the Netherlands, with established self-sustaining populations in Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Belarus, Russia, Spain and Romania. Katano et al. (2010) investigated the status of I. punctatus in Japan, which, introduced in 1971, is now widely distributed in the Abukuma, Tone and Yahagi River systems, as well as in Lake Shimokotori. Several specimens have also been caught in Lake Hinuma and the Miya and Seta Rivers in 2008 and 2009 (Katano et al., 2010).

There appears to be some disagreement regarding the presence of the channel catfish in Turkey; Cildir (2001) reported that its introduction into Lake Egirdir was unsuccessful. However, it is listed as being present in a report listing its use in aquaculture and stocking operations (Olenin et al., 2008) and in reservoir systems (Innal and Erk’akan, 2006; Innal, 2012).

It has been widely introduced for sport fishing throughout the USA; its large size and excellent taste make it a popular target of anglers. Its high fecundity, tolerance of extreme environmental conditions, and resistance to diseases, not only make this species suitable for commercial cultivation but also contributes to its success in establishing itself in areas where it has been introduced (Tucker and Hargreaves, 2004). Cultured worldwide today, it has been introduced in more than 32 countries including Italy, Brazil, China, Japan and Russia for aquaculture and recreational fisheries (Welcomme, 1988). 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

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The distribution in this summary table is based on all the information available. When several references are cited, they may give conflicting information on the status. Further details may be available for individual references in the Distribution Table Details section which can be selected by going to Generate Report.

Last updated: 10 Jan 2020

Continent/Country/Region	Distribution	Origin	First Reported	Invasive	Reference	Notes
Africa
Côte d'Ivoire	Present	Introduced			Welcomme (1988)
Egypt	Present	Introduced	1982		Welcomme (1988)
Nigeria	Present	Introduced			Welcomme (1988) Froese and Pauly (2004)
Asia
Armenia	Present	Introduced			Froese and Pauly (2004) CABI (Undated)	Introduced from Russia for aquaculture; reported in Araks River, and within Ararat Valley
China	Present, Few occurrences	Introduced	1984		Ma et al. (2003) Froese and Pauly (2004) CABI (Undated)	Introduced for aquaculture into Central China
India	Present	Introduced			Molar and Walker (1998) Singh and Lakra (2011) CABI (Undated)	Attempt by Hindustan Lever to culture using seed imported from the USA failed to produce desired results
-Tamil Nadu	Present	Introduced			Singh and Lakra (2011)	Limited occurrence
-West Bengal	Present	Introduced			Singh and Lakra (2011)	Limited occurrence
Indonesia	Present, Only in captivity/cultivation	Introduced			CABI (Undated)	Introduced for research; Original citation: Eidman (1989)
Japan	Present, Widespread	Introduced	1971	Invasive	Matsuzaki et al. (2011) Froese and Pauly (2004) CABI (Undated)	Tonegawa River system, Kasumigaura, Kitaura and Biwako Lakes, Shimane, Fukushima, Gifu and Aichi Prefectures
Malaysia	Present, Only in captivity/cultivation	Introduced			CABI (Undated)	Successful spawning reported in laboratory trials; Original citation: Freshwater Fisheries Research Centre Malaysia (FFRC) (2001)
Pakistan	Present, Only in captivity/cultivation	Introduced	2003		Rab et al. (2007)	Trials to culture channel catfish conducted, no further reports on culture or presence in the wild
Philippines	Present, Only in captivity/cultivation	Introduced	1974		Froese and Pauly (2004) CABI (Undated)	Introduced into reservoirs; no other natural populations known since
South Korea	Absent, Formerly present		1972		Welcomme (1988) Froese and Pauly (2004)	Introduced for aquaculture, thought to be unsuccessful
Taiwan	Absent, Formerly present				CABI (Undated) Froese and Pauly (2004)	Unpopular as cultured fish, not suited to local conditions; First reported: 1974-1975; Original citation: Liao and Lia (1989)
Thailand	Present, Only in captivity/cultivation	Introduced	1989		Vidthayanon (2005) CABI (Undated)
Turkey	Present, Localized	Introduced			FAO (1997) Cildir (2001) Olenin et al. (2008)	Introduced into Lake Egirdir, thought to be unsuccessful; First reported: 1990s
Uzbekistan	Present	Introduced			Salikhov and Kamilov (1995)	Established
Europe
Belarus	Present	Introduced			Shumak and Mischenko (1989) Olenin et al. (2008)	Lake Beloe
Belgium	Present	Introduced			FAO (1997) Froese and Pauly (2004) Verreycken et al. (2009) DAISIE (2013)	Reported to be acclimatised to local conditions
Bulgaria	Present	Introduced	1975		Froese and Pauly (2004) Uzunova and Zlatanova (2007) Olenin et al. (2008) Hadjinikolova et al. (2010)	Primarily in Ovcharitza and Kardzhali reservoirs
Cyprus	Present	Introduced			Welcomme (1988) Dill (1990) Froese and Pauly (2004) Olenin et al. (2008)	Introduced into lowland reservoirs
Czechia	Present	Introduced			Welcomme (1988) Froese and Pauly (2004) NOBANIS (2005) Olenin et al. (2008)	Reported to be established
Estonia	Present, Few occurrences	Introduced	2002		NOBANIS (2005)	Not known to be established but reported to be potentially invasive
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia	Present	Introduced			Welcomme (1988)
France	Present	Introduced			Froese and Pauly (2004) Cowx and Nunn (2008) CABI (Undated)
Germany	Present	Introduced			Cowx and Nunn (2008)
Greece	Present, Few occurrences	Introduced			Economou et al. (2007)	Reported but unconfirmed occurrence in the Evros and Arachthos basins
Hungary	Present	Introduced			Olenin et al. (2008) Froese R and Pauly D (2013) CABI (Undated)
Italy	Present, Localized	Introduced			Copp et al. (2005) Ligas (2007) Cowx and Nunn (2008) CABI (Undated)	Northern and central Italy, in particular the Po, Arno and Ombrone River; reported to be established
Lithuania	Present, Few occurrences	Introduced	1975		NOBANIS (2005) Olenin et al. (2008)	Not known to be established
Montenegro	Present	Introduced			Olenin et al. (2008)
Netherlands	Present	Introduced			Cowx and Nunn (2008)
Romania	Present, Few occurrences	Introduced			FAO (1997) Olenin et al. (2008) DAISIE (2013)
Russia	Present	Introduced			Froese and Pauly (2004) Olenin et al. (2008) DAISIE (2013) CABI (Undated)
Serbia	Present	Introduced			Olenin et al. (2008)
Slovakia	Present	Introduced			Welcomme (1988) Froese and Pauly (2004) Olenin et al. (2008)
Spain	Present	Introduced			Froese and Pauly (2004) Cowx and Nunn (2008)
Ukraine	Present, Few occurrences	Introduced			DAISIE (2013)
United Kingdom	Present	Introduced			Welcomme (1988) Froese and Pauly (2004) Maitland (2004) DAISIE (2013)
North America
Canada	Present	Native			Scott and Crossman (1973) Froese and Pauly (2004)	Great Lakes
-Alberta	Present	Native			CABI (Undated)	Original citation: Contreras and Escalante (1984)
-Manitoba	Present	Native			CABI (Undated)	Original citation: Contreras and Escalante (1984)
-Ontario	Present	Native			CABI (Undated)	Original citation: Contreras and Escalante (1984)
-Quebec	Present	Native			CABI (Undated)	Original citation: Contreras and Escalante (1984)
-Saskatchewan	Present	Native			CABI (Undated)	Original citation: Contreras and Escalante (1984)
Costa Rica	Present, Only in captivity/cultivation	Introduced			Cam (2011)
Cuba	Present	Introduced			Welcomme (1988) Sugunan (1997) Froese and Pauly (2004)
Dominican Republic	Present	Introduced			Welcomme (1988) Froese and Pauly (2004) CABI (Undated)	First reported: 1954-1955
Honduras	Present	Introduced			Matamoros et al. (2009)	First reported: 1960s
Mexico	Present				Lyons et al. (1998) Zambrano and Macias-Garcia (2000) Froese and Pauly (2004) CABI (Undated)	Native to northern Mexico, introduced to southern parts for aquaculture
Panama	Present	Introduced			Welcomme (1988) Pérez et al. (2003) Froese and Pauly (2004)
Puerto Rico	Present	Introduced			Froese and Pauly (2004) Neal et al. (2009)
United States	Present	Native			Froese and Pauly (2004)
-Alabama	Present	Native			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Arizona	Present	Introduced	1903		USGS (2013) CABI (Undated)
-Arkansas	Present				USGS (2013) CABI (Undated)
-California	Present, Widespread	Introduced			Dill and Cordone (1997) CABI (Undated)	1891 introductions were failures; First reported: 1891, 1922
-Colorado	Present	Introduced		Invasive	Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Connecticut	Present	Introduced			USGS (2013) CABI (Undated)
-Delaware	Present	Introduced			USGS (2013) CABI (Undated)
-District of Columbia	Present	Introduced			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Florida	Present	Native			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Georgia	Present	Introduced			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Hawaii	Present	Introduced			Froese and Pauly (2004) USGS (2013) CABI (Undated)
-Idaho	Present	Introduced			Wydoski and Whitney (1979) USGS (2013) CABI (Undated)	Although 100 fish introduced into Boise River in 1893 by US Fish Commission, no evidence of reproduction from this stocking; introduced again in 1940 by Idaho Fish and Game Department to Little Wood River, Snake River at Burley and Snake River between Glenns Ferry and Weiser; First reported: 1893, 1940
-Illinois	Present	Native			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Indiana	Present	Native			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Iowa	Present	Native			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Kansas	Present	Introduced			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Kentucky	Present	Native			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Louisiana	Present	Native			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Maryland	Present	Introduced			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Massachusetts	Present	Introduced			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Michigan	Present	Native			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Minnesota	Present	Introduced			USGS (2013)
-Mississippi	Present	Native			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Missouri	Present	Native			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Montana	Present				USGS (2013)
-Nebraska	Present	Native			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Nevada	Present	Introduced			USGS (2013)
-New Jersey	Present	Introduced			USGS (2013) CABI (Undated)
-New Mexico	Present	Introduced		Invasive	Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-New York	Present	Introduced			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-North Carolina	Present	Introduced			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-North Dakota	Present	Native			USGS (2013) CABI (Undated)
-Ohio	Present	Introduced			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Oklahoma	Present	Native			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Oregon	Present	Introduced			USGS (2013) CABI (Undated)
-Pennsylvania	Present	Introduced			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-South Carolina	Present	Introduced			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-South Dakota	Present	Native			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Tennessee	Present	Native			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Texas	Present	Introduced			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Utah	Present	Introduced		Invasive	Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Virginia	Present	Introduced			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Washington	Present	Introduced			USGS (2013) CABI (Undated)
-West Virginia	Present	Introduced			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Wisconsin	Present	Introduced			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
-Wyoming	Present	Introduced			Lee et al. (1980) USGS (2013)
Oceania
French Polynesia	Present	Introduced			CABI (Undated)	Original citation: Eldredge (1994)
Guam	Present	Introduced	1966		Welcomme (1988) CABI (Undated)
South America
Brazil	Present	Introduced	1980	Invasive	Welcomme (1988) Piedras (1990) Froese and Pauly (2004)	Assessed to have a high invasive potential - recommended for listing on a black list and its use in aquaculture prohibited
-Parana	Present	Introduced		Invasive	Pérez et al. (2003)
Chile	Present	Introduced	1995		Pérez et al. (2003) Iriarte et al. (2005) CABI (Undated)	Parral Region VIII
Paraguay	Present				Pérez et al. (2003)
Venezuela	Present	Introduced			Nava (2007)

History of Introduction and Spread

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The channel catfish was widely stocked by the United States Fish Commission (USFC) and state authorities as a food and sport fish. The USFC shipped stocks of channel catfish to more than twenty states in 1892 and 1893, including Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, Wisconsin, Colorado and Idaho (Dill and Cordone, 1997). According to Page and Burr (1991), the channel catfish has now been introduced to much of the USA, including the Delaware River, San Francisco Bay, the Hudson River, the Columbia River and the Connecticut River. It has been introduced in at least 30 states and reported to be established in most (Page and Burr, 1991; Fuller et al., 1999). It has also been introduced to more than 32 countries throughout the world (Welcomme, 1988). Channel catfish have been introduced to Belgium, Cyprus, the former Czechoslovakia, France, Hungary, Italy, UK, former USSR and the former Yugoslavia (Holcik, 1991; Kosco et al., 2004). Wild populations have reportedly established themselves in the lower Ebro (Spain), River Oglio and Pavia Province (northern Italy) and in the lower Kuban and Don drainages (Russia) (Doadrio, 2002; Kottelat and Freyhof, 2007; Hermoso et al., 2008). 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. Although some reports (Innal and Erk’akan, 2006; Olenin et al., 2008) indicate its presence and a recent survey (Innal, 2012) of alien fish species in Turkey lists the channel catfish in reservoir systems, Cildir (2001) described attempts to introduce channel catfish into Turkish waters as being unsuccessful.

The channel catfish was introduced in Japan in 1971 for aquaculture and by the early 1990s was detected in natural water bodies around Lake Kasumigaura, an important commercial fishery. The population of I. punctatus which invaded the lake in the early 1980s increased slowly from 1995; a dramatic increase was then reported from 2000 (Hanzawa, 2004), with the increase in population ceasing in 2004, and I. punctatus abundance declining gradually ever since. Escapes from aquaculture facilities and illegal releases are believed to be responsible for the establishment of the channel catfish in the wild in Japan. I. punctatus has recently been documented to have invaded other water bodies that support Japanese commercial fisheries such as the River Tone, Lake Hinuma and Lake Biwa (Katano et al., 2010). Several specimens were caught in Lake Hinuma and the Miya and Seta Rivers in 2008 and 2009. In Japan, there are now restrictions on the import, transport and maintenance of channel catfish.

Channel catfish were introduced into central China to be cultured in cages in inland waters for food, and quickly became one of the most efficient aquaculture species (Tan and Tong, 1989; Ma et al., 2003).

Introduced for aquaculture in Brazil, the first report of the channel catfish was in the middle Paranapanema river by Zanata et al. (2010), believed to have been associated with the expansion of cage culture in the Chavantes Reservoir. Orsi and Agostinho (1999) noted that the first specimen of channel catfish collected in the lower Paranapanema River may have originated from fish farms sited along the river basin. According to several reports (Orsi and Agostinho, 1999; Vitule, 2009), Brazil seems to be highly vulnerable to invasion and successful spread of the channel catfish; it has been recommended for listing on a black list, and its use in aquaculture prohibited. Reports of occasional occurrences of I. punctatus in southern Brazilian inland waters have been documented since 2008 (Cruz et al., 2012).

In Honduras, it was introduced in the early 1960s for aquaculture by the United Fruit Company, with escapes into the Ulúa and Chamelecón Rivers following Hurricane Fifi in 1975 (Matamoros et al., 2009).

Channel catfish were introduced from North America to Belarus in 1979 for aquaculture in the Pripyat river basin (Shumak and Mischenko, 1989) and have been reported in fish farms. Although unable to reproduce in Belarus under natural conditions it has established a self-sustaining population in the warm waters of Lake Beloe, which serves as a power plant cooling reservoir (Kunitskiy, 2001). I. punctatus has been assessed as having a medium risk of becoming invasive in Belarus on the basis of the FISK assessment tool which yielded a score of about 15. The tool ranked fish species as having low, medium or high risk of being invasive (Copp et al., 2009): <1 indicates low risk; 1-18.9 medium risk; and 19 to a maximum of 54 indicates high risk.

The channel catfish was introduced to Chile for aquaculture in 1995 and though listed as an exotic species in the fresh waters of Chile in a survey by Iriarte et al. (2005); it is not listed as invasive in a list tabulated of such species.

Introductions

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Introduced to	Introduced from	Year	Reason	Introduced by	Established in wild through		References	Notes
Introduced to	Introduced from	Year	Reason	Introduced by	Natural reproduction	Continuous restocking	References	Notes
Arizona		1973		Unknown	No	No	Minckley (1973); Minckley (1973)
Armenia	Russian Federation		Aquaculture (pathway cause)		Yes	No	Gabrielyan (2001); Gabrielyan (2001)
Belarus	USA	1979	Aquaculture (pathway cause)		Yes	No	Shumak and Mischenko (1989)	Confined to Lake Beloe
Belgium	USA	1884, 1968	Aquaculture (pathway cause)	Unknown	Yes	No	FAO (1997); Verreycken et al. (2009)
Brazil	USA	1971, 1980	Aquaculture (pathway cause); Hunting, angling, sport or racing (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	Piedras (1990); Welcomme (1988)
Bulgaria	USA	1975	Aquaculture (pathway cause); Hunting, angling, sport or racing (pathway cause)		Yes	No	Uzunova and Zlatanova (2007)
California		1891		Unknown	No	No	Smith (1896)
Chile	USA	1995	Aquaculture (pathway cause)		Yes	No	Pérez et al. (2003)
China	USA	1984	Aquaculture (pathway cause)		No	No	Ma et al. (2003)
Connecticut		1960		Unknown	No	No	Behnke and Wetzel (1960)
Côte d'Ivoire	USA				No	No	Welcomme (1988)
Cuba	Mexico	1979	Aquaculture (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	Welcomme (1988)
Cuba	Russian Federation	1984	Aquaculture (pathway cause)		No	No	Welcomme (1988)
Cyprus	USA	1975	Aquaculture (pathway cause); Hunting, angling, sport or racing (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	Dill (1990); Welcomme (1988)	Probably established
Czech Republic	USA	1985	Aquaculture (pathway cause); Hunting, angling, sport or racing (pathway cause)		Yes	No	NOBANIS (2005); Welcomme (1988)
Delaware		1976		Unknown	No	No	Lee and et al. (1976)
Dominican Republic	USA	1954-1955	Aquaculture (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	Chakalall (1993); Welcomme (1988)
Egypt	USA	1982	Aquaculture (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	Welcomme (1988)
Estonia	USA	2002			No	No	NOBANIS (2005)
France	USA		Aquaculture (pathway cause)		No	No	Welcomme (1988)
French Polynesia			Aquaculture (pathway cause)		No	No	Eldredge (1994); Eldredge (1994)
Guam	USA	1966	Aquaculture (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	Eldredge (1994); Eldredge (1994); Welcomme (1988)
Hawaii		1960		Unknown	No	No	Brock (1960); Brock (1960)
Honduras		1960s	Aquaculture (pathway cause)		No	No	Matamoros et al. (2009)	Report of reproducing population on a fish farm
Hungary	USA	1975	Aquaculture (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	Yes	Froese and Pauly (2013); Holcík (1991); Holcík (1991)	Continuously restocked as not established
Idaho		1893		Unknown	No	No	Linder (1963)
India	USA	1985-1989	Aquaculture (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	Csavas (1995); Csavas (1995); Molar and Walker (1998)	No reports so far on its presence
Indonesia	USA	1986	Research (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	Eidman (1989); Eidman (1989)
Italy	USA	1976	Aquaculture (pathway cause)	Unknown	Yes	No	Amori and et al. (1993); Copp et al. (2005); Copp et al. (2005b); Ligas (2007)
Japan	California	1971	Aquaculture (pathway cause); Aquarium trade (pathway cause)	Unknown	Yes	No	Chiba and et al. (1989); Chiba et al. (1989); Katano et al. (2010); Welcomme (1988)
Korea, Republic of	USA	1972	Aquaculture (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	Welcomme (1988)	Collected but not known to be established
Lithuania	USA				No	No	DAISIE (2013); NOBANIS (2005)
Malaysia	USA		Aquaculture (pathway cause)		No	No	Freshwater Fisheries Research Centre Malaysia (FFRC) (2001)
Massachusetts		1980		Unknown	No	No	Lee and et al. (1980); Lee et al. (1980)
Mexico	USA	1933	Aquaculture (pathway cause); Fisheries (pathway cause)		Yes	No	Froese and Pauly (2013); Zambrano and Macias-Garcia (2000)
Netherlands	USA				No	No	Cowx and Nunn (2008)
New Jersey		1905		Unknown	No	No	Morse (1905)
Nigeria	USA	1970	Aquaculture (pathway cause)		No	No	Welcomme (1988)
Nigeria		1970		Unknown	No	No	Welcomme (1988)
Oregon		1896		Unknown	No	No	Smith (1896)
Pakistan	USA	2003	Aquaculture (pathway cause)		No	No	Rab et al. (2007)
Panama	USA	1981	Aquaculture (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	Welcomme (1988)
Philippines	California	1974	Aquaculture (pathway cause); Aquarium trade (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	Juliano and et al. (1989); Juliano et al. (1989)	No known natural population
Puerto Rico	USA	1938	Hunting, angling, sport or racing (pathway cause)		Yes	No	Neal et al. (2009); Welcomme (1988)
Romania	Russian Federation	1978	Aquaculture (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	DAISIE (2013); FAO (1997); Froese and Pauly (2004)
Russian Federation	USA		Aquaculture (pathway cause)		Yes	No	Bogutskaya and Naseka (2002); DAISIE (2013)	Escaped into wild
Serbia					No	No	Cowx and Nunn (2008)
Slovakia	USA	1985	Aquaculture (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	Welcomme (1988)	Probably established
Spain	USA				Yes	No	Welcomme (1988)
Taiwan	USA	1975-1976	Aquaculture (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	Liao and Lia (1989); Liao and Lia (1989); Liao and Liu (1989); Welcomme (1988)	Warmer climate was found to be unsuitable, thus it is no longer cultured
Thailand	USA	1989	Aquaculture (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	Csavas (1995); Csavas (1995); Vidthayanon (2005)
Turkey	USA	1989	Aquaculture (pathway cause); Hunting, angling, sport or racing (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	Cowx and Nunn (2008); FAO (1997)
UK	USA	1968	Aquarium trade (pathway cause); Hunting, angling, sport or racing (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	No	Welcomme (1988)
Ukraine	Russian Federation				No	No	DAISIE (2013)
Uzbekistan	USA				Yes	No	Salikhov and Kamilov (1995)
Washington		1896		Unknown	No	No	Smith (1896)
Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro)	USA	1971		Unknown	No	No	Welcomme (1988)	Naturally reproducing in two farms

Risk of Introduction

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Stocking of the channel catfish for sport fishing and food in lakes, reservoirs and ponds outside its native range has resulted in the expansion of its distribution due to the network of canals and drainage systems connecting water bodies. In Brazil, the culture of channel catfish in fish farms or fish cages located in river floodplains, river channels or marginal ponds, has resulted in fish escapes during periods of flooding (Orsi and Agostinho, 1999; Zanata et al., 2010).

When introduced to ecosystems where there is overlap in food niches of native species, competition for the same food resources by channel catfish can lead to significant impacts on native species. As adult channel catfish prey upon a variety of species, the potential risk to affect all native species exists (Tyus and Nikirk, 1990).

Habitat

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The channel catfish can be found in clean, rocky, well-oxygenated, medium to large rivers and streams, as well as still waters or slow flowing rivers and muddy waters (Becker, 1983). Etnier and Starnes (2001) reported that channel catfish are also able to adapt to habitats such as small to large creeks, reservoirs, natural lakes, swamps, oxbow lakes, farm ponds and larger trout streams. They may enter brackish water but appear to be limited by salinities of 1.7 ppt (Scott and Crossman, 1973), although specimens have been collected from waters with salinities of 11 ppt (Ross, 2001) and 11.4 ppt (Perry, 1968).

Habitat List

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Category	Habitat	Presence	Status
Freshwater		Principal habitat	Natural
Freshwater		Principal habitat	Productive/non-natural
Freshwater	Irrigation channels	Principal habitat	Natural
Freshwater	Irrigation channels	Principal habitat	Productive/non-natural
Freshwater	Lakes	Principal habitat	Natural
Freshwater	Lakes	Principal habitat	Productive/non-natural
Freshwater	Reservoirs	Principal habitat	Natural
Freshwater	Reservoirs	Principal habitat	Productive/non-natural
Freshwater	Rivers / streams	Principal habitat	Natural
Freshwater	Rivers / streams	Principal habitat	Productive/non-natural
Freshwater	Ponds	Principal habitat	Natural
Freshwater	Ponds	Principal habitat	Productive/non-natural
Brackish	Estuaries	Secondary/tolerated habitat	Natural

Biology and Ecology

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Reproductive Biology

Age at maturity appears to vary according to geographic location. For example, in Texas ponds individuals mature 18 months after hatching (Carlander, 1969), whereas in the coastal regions of Louisiana, at salinities of 3.5 ppt, specimens mature by the second or third year at 330-339 mm total length (TL) in males and 350-359 mm TL in females (Perry and Carver, 1973). In Lake Erie, half the males were mature when they reached 290 mm TL and half the females when they reached 250-255 mm TL (DeRoth, 1965). According to Appelget and Smith (1951), maturity is generally reached only when a total length of 305 mm is reached; in northern regions, channel catfish may only mature when 2-5 years of age or later (DeRoth, 1965).

Reported optimum spawning temperatures for channel catfish include 21°C (McMahon and Terrell, 1982), 21.7°C (McClellan, 1954), 23.8°C (Appleget and Smith, 1951), 23.9°C (Katz, 1954), 20.6°-23.3°C (Smith, 1974) and 21.1°-29.5°C (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 1988). Spawning occurs in late spring and early summer when water temperatures reach 16-24°C (Appleget and Smith, 1951). Males generally select a suitable spawning site, usually in sheltered areas such as among stones, hollow logs, under banks or other suitable cover. Eggs are then laid in a nest excavated by the female after which males guard and fan the water over the nest for 5-10 days when the eggs hatch. Spawning takes 4-6 hours, with as many as 8000 eggs being laid (Appleget and Smith, 1951). Eggs require 15.5° to 29.5°C for development to occur, being unable to develop below 15.5°C, with optimum development occurring at 27°C (McMahon and Terrell, 1982). Fertilized eggs hatch in 6 days at 25°C and in 10 days at 15.6°C. Toole (1951) reported eggs hatching in 5-10 days in Texas ponds.

Longevity

Channel catfish generally live 6 to 10 years although longer life spans have been reported with fish more than 14 years of age being reported in several waters. In Colorado, specimens reaching 22 years of age have been reported in an introduced population (Tyus and Nikirk, 1990) while in Canada, a specimen as old as 40 years of age has been recorded (Carlander, 1969).

Activity Patterns

According to Becker (1983), channel catfish may travel upstream or downstream in rivers to spawn. Movement of reservoir populations increases during or soon after periods of increased river flow. Duncan and Myers (1978) and Dames et al. (1989) observed that reservoir and river populations of channel catfish tend to migrate upstream in spring and downstream in the fall.

Nutrition

The channel catfish is an omnivorous, opportunistic feeder, feeding on both living and dead matter. It feeds by touch, and taste; taste buds located on the barbels help in the detection of prey (Joyce and Chapman, 1978). Channel catfish usually feed at night, and only at water temperatures above 15.6°C (Becker, 1983). Larval stages feed on midge larvae and pupae. Channel catfish smaller than 102 mm total length (TL) feed primarily on insects; while those larger than 102 mm TL continue to feed on aquatic insects, they also begin to feed on large species of mayflies and caddis flies. Larger fish tend to feed on terrestrial insects, seeds (from elm and cottonwood trees), crayfish, aquatic insect nymphs, snakes, birds, spiders and plant matter (Becker, 1983). Other plant food items include wild grapes, wild fruits, weed seeds and other plant matter falling into rivers and streams from overhanging branches. A high incidence of aquatic vegetation was reported in the stomachs of channel catfish sampled from a Missouri River reservoir, which included Ranunculus aquatilis, Ceratophyllum demersum, Potamogeton crispus, Myriophyllum spicatum, Spirogyra spp. (Dagel et al., 2010). In coastal areas, small crustaceans (amphipods, isopods, xanthid crabs), midge larvae and pupae and organic detritus form the diet of fish larger than 76-119 mm. Menzel (1945) reported channel catfish feeding on plants such as filamentous green algae. Species of fish consumed by large channel catfish depend on their availability: minnows (Cyprinidae), bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), crappie (Pomoxis spp.), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), hickory shad (Alosa mediocris), gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), eels (Anguilla spp.), and green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) (Bailey and Harrison, 1945; Robinette and Knight, 1981). Flooding of steams allows channel catfish to consume terrestrial prey such as earthworms, crickets, centipedes and even mice and rats as they make their way onto flooded plains (Robinette and Knight, 1981). The stomach contents of one adult channel catfish from Canton Reservoir in Oklahoma reportedly contained an adult bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) (Buck and Cross, 1952), while cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) have been reported in stomachs of channel catfish from a lake in Oklahoma (Heard, 1958). It is not known if the channel catfish had been feeding on live rats swimming on the surface or on drowned rats on the bottom.

Environmental Requirements

Survival in brackish water appears to be limited by salinities of 1.7 ppt, although specimens have been collected at 11 ppt (Ross, 2001). Although channel catfish prefer a temperature range of 28-30°C (Cheetham et al., 1976), they can survive higher temperatures; Allen and Strawn (1968) noted the upper lethal temperature for the species ranges from 36.6-37.8°C for acclimation temperatures of 26-34°C. They are known to survive at water temperatures close to freezing as well since channel catfish ponds in northwest Mississippi periodically freeze in winter (Moss and Scott, 1961). While dissolved oxygen levels greater than or equal to 7 mg/ml are optimum for growth and survival, levels of 5-7 mg/ml are considered acceptable; lethal levels of dissolved oxygen concentrations have been reported to be 0.95-1.08 mg/l (Meisenheimer, 1988). Dissolved oxygen levels less than 3 mg/ml retard growth, with feeding decreasing at less than 5 mg/ml (Randolph and Clemens, 1976). According to Becker (1983), embryonic and larval development will be affected if oxygen levels are too low, and that the deleterious effects of low oxygen levels are dependent on water temperature.

Juveniles prefer depths of 50-70 cm while adults go for the deepest water possible (Holland and Peters, 1992); both juveniles and adults prefer areas of slow to moderate currents e.g. less than 60 cm/sec (Holland and Peters, 1992). McMahon and Terrell (1982) however report that current velocities of less than 15 cm/sec are preferred in deep ponds and backwaters and optimal turbidity levels of below 100 ppm.

Natural Food Sources

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Food Source	Life Stage	Contribution to Total Food Intake (%)
Insect larvae, pupae	Larval
Insects, detritus, crayfish, fish, snakes, birds	Adult
Plankton, aquatic insects	Fry
zooplankton	Larval	75

Climate

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Climate	Status	Description
A - Tropical/Megathermal climate	Preferred	Average temp. of coolest month > 18°C, > 1500mm precipitation annually
Af - Tropical rainforest climate	Preferred	> 60mm precipitation per month
Am - Tropical monsoon climate	Preferred	Tropical monsoon climate ( < 60mm precipitation driest month but > (100 - [total annual precipitation(mm}/25]))
C - Temperate/Mesothermal climate	Tolerated	Average temp. of coldest month > 0°C and < 18°C, mean warmest month > 10°C

Latitude/Altitude Ranges

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Latitude North (°N)	Latitude South (°S)	Altitude Lower (m)	Altitude Upper (m)
27-51

Air Temperature

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Parameter	Lower limit	Upper limit
Mean annual temperature (ºC)	10	21
Mean maximum temperature of hottest month (ºC)		40
Mean minimum temperature of coldest month (ºC)	0

Water Tolerances

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Parameter	Minimum Value	Maximum Value	Typical Value	Status	Life Stage	Notes
Ammonia [unionised] (mg/l)			<0.2	Harmful	Adult	as nitrogen
Ammonia [unionised] (mg/l)			<0.2	Harmful	Broodstock	as nitrogen
Ammonia [unionised] (mg/l)			<0.2	Harmful	Egg	as nitrogen
Ammonia [unionised] (mg/l)			<0.2	Harmful	Larval	as nitrogen
Ammonia [unionised] (mg/l)			<0.2	Harmful	Fry	as nitrogen
Ammonia [unionised] (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Adult	as nitrogen
Ammonia [unionised] (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Broodstock	as nitrogen
Ammonia [unionised] (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Egg	as nitrogen
Ammonia [unionised] (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Larval	as nitrogen
Ammonia [unionised] (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Fry	as nitrogen
Ammonia [unionised] (mg/l)	0	0.2		Harmful		Tucker (2000)
Ammonium [ionised] (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Adult
Ammonium [ionised] (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Broodstock
Ammonium [ionised] (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Egg
Ammonium [ionised] (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Larval
Ammonium [ionised] (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Fry
Ammonium [ionised] (mg/l)			3.8	Harmful	Adult
Ammonium [ionised] (mg/l)			3.8	Harmful	Broodstock
Ammonium [ionised] (mg/l)			3.8	Harmful	Egg
Ammonium [ionised] (mg/l)			3.8	Harmful	Larval
Ammonium [ionised] (mg/l)			3.8	Harmful	Fry
Carbon Dioxide (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Adult	depends on dissolved oxygen
Carbon Dioxide (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Broodstock	depends on dissolved oxygen
Carbon Dioxide (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Egg	depends on dissolved oxygen
Carbon Dioxide (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Larval	depends on dissolved oxygen
Carbon Dioxide (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Fry	depends on dissolved oxygen
Chloride (mg/l)			100	Optimum	Adult
Chloride (mg/l)			100	Optimum	Broodstock
Chloride (mg/l)			100	Optimum	Egg
Chloride (mg/l)			100	Optimum	Larval
Chloride (mg/l)			100	Optimum	Fry
Chloride (mg/l)			800	Harmful	Adult
Chloride (mg/l)			800	Harmful	Broodstock
Chloride (mg/l)			800	Harmful	Egg
Chloride (mg/l)			800	Harmful	Larval
Chloride (mg/l)			800	Harmful	Fry
Chlorine (mg/l)			0	Harmful	Adult
Chlorine (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Larval
Chlorine (mg/l)			0	Harmful	Fry
Chlorine (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Fry
Chlorine (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Adult
Chlorine (mg/l)			0	Harmful	Broodstock
Chlorine (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Broodstock
Chlorine (mg/l)			0	Harmful	Egg
Chlorine (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Egg
Chlorine (mg/l)			0	Harmful	Larval
Dissolved oxygen (mg/l)			20	Harmful	Adult
Dissolved oxygen (mg/l)			20	Harmful	Broodstock
Dissolved oxygen (mg/l)			20	Harmful	Egg
Dissolved oxygen (mg/l)			20	Harmful	Larval
Dissolved oxygen (mg/l)			20	Harmful	Fry
Dissolved oxygen (mg/l)			5-15	Optimum	Adult
Dissolved oxygen (mg/l)			5-15	Optimum	Broodstock
Dissolved oxygen (mg/l)			5-15	Optimum	Egg
Dissolved oxygen (mg/l)			5-15	Optimum	Larval
Dissolved oxygen (mg/l)			5-15	Optimum	Fry
Dissolved oxygen (mg/l)	5	15		Optimum		Meisenheimer (1988); Tucker (2000)
Dissolved oxygen (mg/l)	1	20		Harmful
Hardness (mg/l of Calcium Carbonate)			>400	Harmful	Adult
Hardness (mg/l of Calcium Carbonate)			>400	Harmful	Broodstock
Hardness (mg/l of Calcium Carbonate)			>400	Harmful	Egg
Hardness (mg/l of Calcium Carbonate)			>400	Harmful	Larval
Hardness (mg/l of Calcium Carbonate)			>400	Harmful	Fry
Hardness (mg/l of Calcium Carbonate)			20-400	Optimum	Adult
Hardness (mg/l of Calcium Carbonate)			20-400	Optimum	Broodstock
Hardness (mg/l of Calcium Carbonate)			20-400	Optimum	Egg
Hardness (mg/l of Calcium Carbonate)			20-400	Optimum	Larval
Hardness (mg/l of Calcium Carbonate)			20-400	Optimum	Fry
Hydrogen sulphide (mg/l)			<0.01	Harmful	Adult	as sulphur
Hydrogen sulphide (mg/l)			<0.01	Harmful	Broodstock	as sulphur
Hydrogen sulphide (mg/l)			<0.01	Harmful	Egg	as sulphur
Hydrogen sulphide (mg/l)			<0.01	Harmful	Larval	as sulphur
Hydrogen sulphide (mg/l)			<0.01	Harmful	Fry	as sulphur
Hydrogen sulphide (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Adult	as sulphur
Hydrogen sulphide (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Broodstock	as sulphur
Hydrogen sulphide (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Egg	as sulphur
Hydrogen sulphide (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Larval	as sulphur
Hydrogen sulphide (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Fry	as sulphur
Nitrite (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Adult	depends on chlorine
Nitrite (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Broodstock	depends on chlorine
Nitrite (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Egg	depends on chlorine
Nitrite (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Larval	depends on chlorine
Nitrite (mg/l)			0	Optimum	Fry	depends on chlorine
Salinity (part per thousand)			8	Harmful	Adult
Salinity (part per thousand)			8	Harmful	Egg
Salinity (part per thousand)			8	Harmful	Fry
Salinity (part per thousand)			0.5-2.0	Optimum	Larval
Salinity (part per thousand)			0.5-3.0	Optimum	Adult
Salinity (part per thousand)			0.5-3.0	Optimum	Broodstock
Salinity (part per thousand)			0.5-3.0	Optimum	Egg
Salinity (part per thousand)			0.5-3.0	Optimum	Fry
Salinity (part per thousand)			20	Harmful	Broodstock
Salinity (part per thousand)			3.0	Harmful	Larval
Salinity (part per thousand)	0.1	12		Harmful		Tucker (2000)
Salinity (part per thousand)	0.5	4	1.7	Optimum		Tucker (2000)
Water pH (pH)			>9	Harmful	Adult
Water pH (pH)			>9	Harmful	Broodstock
Water pH (pH)			>9	Harmful	Egg
Water pH (pH)			>9	Harmful	Larval
Water pH (pH)			>9	Harmful	Fry
Water pH (pH)			6-9	Optimum	Adult
Water pH (pH)			6-9	Optimum	Broodstock
Water pH (pH)			6-9	Optimum	Egg
Water pH (pH)			6-9	Optimum	Larval
Water pH (pH)			6-9	Optimum	Fry
Water pH (pH)		10	4.5	Harmful		Tucker (2000)
Water pH (pH)		9	5.5	Optimum		Tucker (2000)
Water temperature (ºC temperature)	28	30		Optimum		Cheetham et al. (1976); minimum of 21°C and maximum of 28°C for reproduction
Water temperature (ºC temperature)	36.6	37.8		Harmful

Natural enemies

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Natural enemy	Type	Life stages	Specificity	References
Anax junius	Predator	All Stages	not specific
Anguilla rostrata	Predator	All Stages	not specific
Ardea herodias	Predator	All Stages	not specific
Buteo jamaicensis	Predator	All Stages	not specific
Dytiscus	Predator	All Stages	not specific
Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Predator	All Stages	not specific
Ichthyomyzon castaneus	Predator	All Stages	not specific
Lepomis macrochirus	Predator	All Stages	not specific
Micropterus salmoides	Predator	All Stages	not specific
Notemigonus crysoleucas	Predator	All Stages	not specific
Notophthalmus viridescens	Predator	All Stages	not specific
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Predator	Adult/Fry		Glahn and et al. (1995)
Perca flavescens	Predator	All Stages	not specific
Phalacrocorax auritus	Predator	Adult/Fry		Glahn and et al. (1995)
Pomoxis nigromaculatus	Predator	All Stages	not specific
Pylodictis olivaris	Predator	All Stages	not specific

Notes on Natural Enemies

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The large adult size and presence of spines means predation on channel catfish is likely to be limited to the younger stages. 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).

Pathway Causes

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Cause	Long Distance	Local
Aquaculture	Yes	Yes
Breeding and propagation	Yes	Yes
Escape from confinement or garden escape	Yes	Yes
Flooding and other natural disasters	Yes	Yes
Food	Yes	Yes
Hunting, angling, sport or racing	Yes	Yes
Intentional release	Yes	Yes
Interbasin transfers	Yes	Yes
Interconnected waterways	Yes	Yes
Live food or feed trade	Yes	Yes

Pathway Vectors

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Vector	Long Distance	Local
Aircraft	Yes	Yes
Aquaculture stock	Yes	Yes
Water	Yes	Yes

Impact Summary

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Category	Impact
Biodiversity (generally)	Negative
Economic/livelihood	Positive
Environment (generally)	Positive and negative
Fisheries / aquaculture	Positive
Other	Negative
Trade/international relations	Negative

Economic Impact

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Channel catfish in the James River estuary in Virginia were reported to prey on blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) and white perch (Morone americana) and are known to eat the spawn of many other commercial sport and fishery species, including Atlantic shad (Alosa sapidissima), blueback herring (A. aestivalis), alewife (A. pseudoharengus) (Menzel, 1945). McGovern and Olney (1988) found M. americana eggs and M. saxatilis eggs and larvae in gut contents of juvenile channel catfish from the Pamunkey River in Virginia.

Environmental Impact

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Impact on Biodiversity

Channel catfish were first introduced into the Upper Colorado River Basin in 1892 (Tyus and Nikirk, 1990) and are now common to abundant throughout much of the upper basin (Tyus et al., 1982; Nelson et al., 1995). It is one of the most prolific predators in the upper basin and, among the nonnative fishes, is thought to have the greatest adverse effect on endangered fish species (Hawkins and Nesler, 1991; Lentsch et al., 1996; Tyus and Saunders, 1996), primarily as a result of predation on juveniles and resource overlap with subadults and adults. Jenkins and Burkhead (1994) suggested that the introduction of channel catfish and other large predatory fishes (Micropterus salmoides, M. dolomieu) may have contributed to the extirpation of the native species Percina caprodes (logperch) in the Potomac river and Percopsis oniscomaycus (troutperch) in the Potomac and Susquehanna rivers. The channel catfish is a major predator of razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus) in the Gila River (Marsh and Brooks, 1989) and along the Colorado River in California (Langhorst, 1989). Intense predation by channel catfish led to the failure of efforts to re-establish the critically endangered razorback sucker (X. texanus) in the Gila River Basin (Marsh and Brooks, 1989). Lentsch et al. (1996) identified the channel catfish as one of six non-native species in the upper Colorado River basin that is a threat to the razorback sucker; it is also the principal non-native threat to juvenile, subadult and adult Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius) in the San Juan River in New Mexico. As adult Colorado pikeminnow use the same habitats as adult channel catfish, there is a potential for negative interactions, particularly during periods of limited availability of resources (Wick et al. 1985; Tyus and Karp 1989; Nesler, 1995). In the James River estuary it preys upon Callinectes sapidus and Morone americana (white perch) and feeds on the spawn of M. americana, Alosa sapidissima (Atlantic shad), A. aestivalis (blueback herring) and A. pseudoharengus (alewife) (Menzel, 1945). The channel catfish hybridizes with the threatened Yaqui catfish (Ictalurus pricei) in Mexico (Sublette et al., 1990; Kelsch and Jensen, 1997) while in New Mexico, it hybridizes with the native headwater catfish (I. lupus) (Kelsch and Hendricks, 1990).

There are reports of the endangered Colorado squawfish (Colorado pikeminnow), Ptychocheilus lucius, choking on introduced channel catfish while trying to feed on them (McAda, 1983; Pimental et al., 1985). The predatory habit of the channel catfish is thought to be responsible for the decline of the razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus) (Marsh and Brooks, 1989) and the Chiricahua leopard frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis) in Arizona (Rosen et al., 1995) and the humpback chub (Gila cypha) in the Little Colorado River (Marsh and Douglas, 1997). The channel catfish is also believed to have contributed to the extirpation of an isolated population of trout perch, Percopsis omiscomaycus, in the Potomac River in Virginia and Maryland (Jenkins and Burkhead, 1994). A decrease in crayfish numbers due to predation by channel catfish in mesocosm experiments (Adams, 2007), implies it could be responsible for the decline in native crayfish populations in habitats where the channel catfish has been introduced. In Japan, invasion by channel catfish of Lake Kasumigaura, an important inland commercial fishery, is thought to be the major cause of the decline in populations of native species and subsequent damage to commercial fisheries (Hanzawa, 2004; Hanzawa and Arayama, 2007; Arayama, 2010; Katano et al., 2010).

Threatened Species

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Threatened Species	Conservation Status	Where Threatened	Mechanism	References
Gila cypha	EN (IUCN red list: Endangered)	Arizona	Predation	Marsh and Douglas (1997)
Ictalurus pricei	EN (IUCN red list: Endangered)	Mexico	Hybridization	Varela-Romero et al. (2011)
Percopsis omiscomaycus	LC (IUCN red list: Least concern)	Maryland; Virginia	Predation	Jenkins and Burkhead (1994)
Xyrauchen texanus (razorback sucker)	CR (IUCN red list: Critically endangered); USA ESA listing as endangered species	Arizona	Predation	Marsh and Brooks (1989)
Rana chiricahuensis (Chiricahua leopard frog)	VU (IUCN red list: Vulnerable)	Arizona	Predation	Rosen et al. (1995)

Risk and Impact Factors

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Invasiveness

Invasive in its native range
Proved invasive outside its native range
Has a broad native range
Abundant in its native range
Highly adaptable to different environments
Is a habitat generalist
Tolerates, or benefits from, cultivation, browsing pressure, mutilation, fire etc
Capable of securing and ingesting a wide range of food
Highly mobile locally
Long lived
Fast growing
Has high reproductive potential
Gregarious
Has high genetic variability

Impact outcomes

Altered trophic level
Changed gene pool/ selective loss of genotypes
Damaged ecosystem services
Ecosystem change/ habitat alteration
Increases vulnerability to invasions
Modification of natural benthic communities
Modification of nutrient regime
Reduced native biodiversity
Threat to/ loss of endangered species
Threat to/ loss of native species

Impact mechanisms

Competition - monopolizing resources
Hybridization
Predation
Rapid growth

Likelihood of entry/control

Highly likely to be transported internationally accidentally
Highly likely to be transported internationally deliberately
Highly likely to be transported internationally illegally
Difficult/costly to control

Uses List

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Animal feed, fodder, forage

Bait/attractant

General

Laboratory use
Pet/aquarium trade
Research model
Sport (hunting, shooting, fishing, racing)

Genetic importance

Gene source

Human food and beverage

Meat/fat/offal/blood/bone (whole, cut, fresh, frozen, canned, cured, processed or smoked)

Similarities to Other Species/Conditions

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Although I. punctatus resembles the headwater catfish, I. lupus, it has more than 25 anal fin rays (less than 25 for I. lupus), and the caudal fin in younger specimens is deeply forked. I. punctatus can be distinguished from the blue catfish (I. furcatus) by the presence of a shorter rounded anal fin (the margin of the anal fin being almost straight in I. furcatus) (Sublette et al., 1990).

In Brazil, the introduced channel catfish is often confused with the native silver catfish jundia (Rhamdia quelen). The native silver catfish, however, has 3 pairs of barbels while the channel catfish has 4 (Wellborn, 1988); the first ray of the dorsal fin of the channel catfish exists as a rigid spine while in the silver catfish, it is soft.

Prevention and Control

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Due to the variable regulations around (de)registration of pesticides, your national list of registered pesticides or relevant authority should be consulted to determine which products are legally allowed for use in your country when considering chemical control. Pesticides should always be used in a lawful manner, consistent with the product's label.

Prevention

Careful consideration of an introduction before it occurs reduces the potential risks of intentional introductions of non-indigenous species. Several protocols have been developed to evaluate proposed introductions, and address environmental concerns, such as the ICES Code of Practice and the American Fisheries Society protocol (Elvira, 2001). When a proposal to introduce channel catfish into New Zealand for aquaculture was made, a review team considered the environmental risks posed. As the evidence obtained from the North American experience indicated that one or more valued species was likely to suffer a decline in abundance or distribution if channel catfish were introduced, the review team concluded that the environmental risk posed by the introduction of the channel catfish was unacceptable (Townsend and Winterbourn, 1992). Education programmes that promote a general awareness of the consequences of the introduction of non-indigenous species and means of minimising the risks of introduction, and the enforcement of existing legislation are vital in preventing the spread of introduced fish species.

Fish screens could be installed to prevent the escape of channel catfish from ponds and reservoirs into rivers where they might interact with native fishes. Screening reservoir outlets, berming ponds to prevent nonnative fishes from escaping into rivers, and working with state authorities as in the United States, to regulate stocking of nonnative fishes are some of the measures being taken to regulate channel catfish populations (Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 2004). In the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, channel catfish is stocked in lakes that are not connected to main stem rivers to prevent further spread of the species into unrestricted waterways (Boersma et al., 2006). Regulation of escapes from aquaculture and illegal introductions is also necessary, along with a need for more comprehensive monitoring to reduce the future expansion of I. punctatus from lakes to connecting rivers.

Eradication

While chemical measures would harm endangered species which occupy the same or adjacent habitat, mechanical removal (active and passive netting) is not only expensive but impossible for total removal, according to Tyus and Saunders (2000). Nonetheless, mechanical removal of channel catfish has been proposed as a long-term, efficient means of removing channel catfish to suppress its abundance. There have been short-lived individual removal efforts in the Upper Colorado River Basin lasting 2-3 years, targeting the channel catfish, involving the use of electrofishing, netting and angling (Brooks et al., 2000; Jackson and Badame, 2002; Modde and Fuller, 2002; Davis, 2003).

The use of intensive fishing has also been proposed as larger catfish are vulnerable to fishing and angling has all but eliminated larger specimens in some regions e.g. Wyoming (Gerhardt and Hubert, 1991). Unfortunately, commercial fishing of channel catfish in the Missouri and Mississippi rivers has been so effective that fishing had to be stopped or size restrictions imposed to enable the populations to recover. According to Pool (2007) no known programme exists to control wild populations of invasive channel catfish in the Pacific Northwest region.

In Japan, to prevent further ecological and economic damage by I. punctatus in Lake Kasumigaura, steps were taken by the authorities to reduce their numbers. From 2005, Ibaraki Prefecture, with the help of local fishermen, initiated an I. punctatus removal project, which required them to remove I. punctatus caught as a by-product when fishing with stationary nets. Matsuzaki et al. (2011) suggest that more proactive and intensive stationary netting may be an effective method for reducing I. punctatus populations in Lake Kasumigaura.

Gaps in Knowledge/Research Needs

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Further research is required to quantify the extent of the interaction between the channel catfish and native species where the former has been introduced, and investigate its potential for establishment in the wild and possible environmental consequences.

References

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Links to Websites

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Website	URL	Comment
Animal Diversity Web	http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html
DAISIE Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventories for Europe	http://www.europe-aliens.org/
Environmental Impacts of Alien Species in Aquaculture (IMPASSE)	http://www2.hull.ac.uk/science/biology/research/hifi/impasse.aspx
Florida Natural History Museum	http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu
GISD/IASPMR: Invasive Alien Species Pathway Management Resource and DAISIE European Invasive Alien Species Gateway	https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.m93f6	Data source for updated system data added to species habitat list.
Global register of Introduced and Invasive species (GRIIS)	http://griis.org/	Data source for updated system data added to species habitat list.
National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System	http://invasions.si.edu/nemesis/
NOBANIS (2011)	http://www.nobanis.org/default.asp	The European Network on Invasive Alien Species
Non Indigenous Aquatic Species (NAS)	http://nas.er.usgs.gov/
The Catfish Institute	http://www.catfishinstitute.com
The Catfish Journal	http://www.catfishjournal.com
USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service	http://www.nass.usda.gov

Contributors

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22/10/13 Updated by:

Uma Sabapathy Allen, CABI, Nosworthy Way, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8DE, UK

Main Author
Carole Engle
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Aquaculture/Fisheries Cent of Excellence, Woodard Hall, Room 219, 1200 N. University Drive, Mail Slot 4912, Pine Bluff, AR 71603, USA

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Ictalurus punctatus (channel catfish)

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