Part IL] POND Fish. 75 



The Catfishes. 



DISTRIBUTION AND GENERAL HISTORY. 



Catfishes are more or less common in the Mississippi and 

 Missouri rivers and their tributaries^ The common catfishes 

 are said not to be indigenous to the streams and waters west 

 of the Rockv Mountains on the Pacific slope. However, they 

 have been placed in these waters during recent years by the 

 United States Bureau of Fisheries, and reports go to show 

 that they are doing well. . 



There are about nine species and varieties m Kansas (in- 

 cluding the ''stone" cats), and every stream m the state that 

 has fish life in it has one or more kinds of catfish m its 

 waters. The fact that the great majority of these streams 

 are more or less turbid, and even muddy at times,- does not 

 seem to seriously interfere with these fish, but seems rather 

 to produce conditions favorable to their propagation and de- 

 velopment. Catfish have small eyes and they undoubtedly see 

 Doorly They are bottom feeders and omnivorous m their 

 habits,' taking more or less vegetable and a great variety o± 

 animal foods. They have large mouths, large stomachs and 

 "large" appetites, and are able to adapt themselves to a wider 

 range of conditions than any other native Kansas fish. 1 hey 

 are rated in various ways by sportsmen, anglers and fish- 

 loving people as regards their value and quality as food fishes. 

 There is always a ready demand for them m the market as 

 food fish at good prices, equaling or even exceeding that ot 

 beef, pork, and mutton. . 



From a government report we learn that in one year 

 twenty-three states reported a catch of 14,726 000 pounds, 

 the state of Illinois alone reporting nearly two million pounds. 

 From the United States Fisheries' Report we learn further 

 that "both commercial fishermen and anglers throughout the 

 country are showing increased interest in catfishes, and re- 

 quests for stocking public and private waters have recently 

 been numerous." It might be added that the demand for these 

 fish, at least in the state of Kansas, is constantly increasing. 

 Hundreds, even thousands of requests are being made for cat- 

 fishes for stocking ponds and small streams. _^ 



* However, the supply seems to be diminishing, for ^h^ • ^^^fion^ ^*l! 

 Unitfd States (17 states) had fallen to 7,648 000 PO^nds .»" .f 99, and 

 to 5,191 pounds in 1903. (See Natural History Survey of Ilhnois, vol. Ill, 

 page 174. 



