United States (contiguous states) country information

Common names: Catfish, Channel catfish, Channel catfish
Occurrence: native
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: highly commercial | Ref: FAO, 1992
Aquaculture: commercial | Ref: FAO Fishery Information, Data and Statistics Service, 1993
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: live export: yes;
Comments: Recorded from some Atlantic slope drainages of northern and southern United States; widely introduced (Ref. 10294). A popular fish sold in live fish markets. Found in 3 out of 6 live fish markets near the Lakes Erie and Ontario (Ref. 53249). Also reported from Gulf of Mexico drainages (Ref. 93252). Also Ref. 6447.
National Checklist:
Country Information: httpss://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
National Fisheries Authority: https://www.nmfs.gov
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Etnier, D.A. and W.C. Starnes, 1993
National Database:

Classification / Names

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Siluriformes (Catfish) > Ictaluridae (North American freshwater catfishes)
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Common names from other countries

斑点叉尾鮰, Сом канальный, Barbue de rivière, ... more

Main reference

Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr. 1991. (Ref. 5723)
References | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 132 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26550); common length : 57.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 59043); max. published weight: 26.3 kg (Ref. 4699); max. reported age: 24 years (Ref. 59043)

Length at first maturity
L_m 36.0 range ? - ? cm

Environment

Freshwater; benthopelagic; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: 4 - 30; depth range 15 - ? m (Ref. 9988)

Climate / Range

Subtropical; 10°C - 32°C (Ref. 12741), preferred ?; 51°N - 27°N

Distribution

North America: Central drainages of the United States to southern Canada and northern Mexico.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Usually bluish olive, gray or black on the upper part of the body, becoming white below; dark spots usually scattered along the sides; older males dark in color, the head looking very wide when seen from the top; long barbels surrounding the mouth and the tail deeply forked (Ref. 44091).

Adults inhabit rivers and streams and prefer clean, well oxygenated water (Ref. 9988), but also in ponds and reservoirs (Ref. 10294, 44091). They feed primarily on small fish, crustaceans (e.g. crayfish), clams and snails; also feed on aquatic insects and small mammals (Ref. 9669, 10294, 44091). Marketed fresh, smoked and frozen; eaten steamed, fried, broiled, boiled, microwaved and baked (Ref. 9988). Albino form common in the aquarium trade (Ref. 13371).

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Least Concern (LC)

Threat to humans

Potential pest (Ref. 13371)

Human uses

Fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration

Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development

Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance

References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion

Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
PD₅₀ = 0.5010 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
4.2 ±0.3 se; Based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.06; tmax=16)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
High to very high vulnerability (72 of 100)

Price category (Ref. 80766)
Unknown

Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque, 1818)