What are blue catfish predators?

Adult blue catfish have few natural predators in the Chesapeake Bay. They are among the preferred prey of osprey and bald eagles. Blue catfish are native to the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Rio Grande river basins. Blue catfish have been stocked as a recreational catch in almost 20 states.

What is the common name for a blue catfish?

Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus)

What is the biggest blue catfish ever caught?

The current world-record blue catfish recognized by the International Game Fish Association is a 143-pounder caught in June 2011 on Kerr Lake, Virginia. Trone’s fish also officially measured out at 58 inches long and had a 42 inch girth.

Where did the blue catfish invaded?

The blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus, is native to central and southern states of the USA, Mexico and Guatemala. In China, it has been introduced for aquaculture but is not known as invasive. It is, however, ranked among the most invasive species in Chesapeake Bay in the United States (Higgins, 2006).

Why are blue catfish bad?

But blue catfish eat basically everything, including blue crabs and other fish. Not only do they compete with other larger fish for food … they eat those other fish, too. As a result, these apex predators are throwing the food web off balance. Fishery biologists have learned more about blue catfish in recent years.

Are blue catfish poisonous?

The spines contained in the dorsal and pectoral fin contain a venom that causes edema (swelling) and a hemolytic (causes increased blood flow in the area of the injury) if these spines puncture the skin. Smaller catfish are the fish that most often hurt people.

Why are blue catfish a problem?

What is the biggest fish ever caught in the world?

great white shark
According to IGFA records, the largest fish ever caught was a great white shark that weighed an unbelievable 2,664 pounds (1,208.389 kg.). Caught off the coast of Ceduna, Australia, in 1959, it took angler Alfred Dean just 50 minutes to win the fight against this one-ton shark.

What is the average lifespan of a catfish?

Wels catfish: 60 years
Catfish/Lifespan

While you might naturally assume their massive growth occurs gradually as they age, especially considering these catfish have an average life span of more than 60 years (assuming nothing nefarious interferes), that’s not the case [source: National Geographic].

Are blue catfish invasive?

Blue catfish are considered an invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay. They were introduced to several rivers on Virginia’s Western Shore decades ago. People thought that these fish, which like fresh water, would stay in those rivers. But blue catfish eat basically everything, including blue crabs and other fish.

What is the best bait for blue catfish?

To Get The Blue Catfish Bite – You’ll want to use a bait that has plenty of stink. Cut herring, mud shad, or menhaden fits the bill perfectly. – Some anglers swear by commercially made stink-baits, and others by chicken livers. – Whatever bait you choose, you’ll want to keep it dead on bottom.