NOTES ON THE REARING, GROWTH, 

 AND FOOD OF THE CHANNEL CAT- 

 FISH, ICTALURUS PUNCTATUS 



By Austin F. Shira, Director 

 U. S. Biological Station, Fairport, Iowa. 



Though the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, (Ra- 

 finesque), is one of the most important of the Siluridae 

 as far as food qualities are concerned, its habits have 

 perhaps been as little known as those of any of the cat- 

 fishes. Aside from its geographical range, size, and pro- 

 visional breeding season, very little information has been 

 published. 



Regarding its food value, Jordan* says, "The flesh of 

 the channel cat, when fresh, is verp superior ; it is white, 

 crisp and juicy, of excellent flavor and not tough. It is 

 much more delicate both in fiber and in flavor than that of 

 our other catfishes. When well cooked, I consider it 

 superior to that of the black bass, the wall-eye, the yellow 

 perch, or any other of our percoid fishes. Among our 

 fresh-water fishes it is inferior only to the whitefish, the 

 trout, and other Salmonidae." Regarding its distribu- 

 tion, he further states that it "abounds in all flowing 

 streams from Western New York to Montana and south- 

 ward to Florida and Texas. It is perhaps, most common 

 in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri. It seems to pre- 

 fer running waters, and both young and old are most 

 abundant in gravelly shoals and ripples. The other cat- 

 fishes prefer rather sluggish waters and mud bottoms. I 

 have occasionally taken channel cats in ponds and bayous, 

 but such localities are apparently not their preference. 

 They rarely enter small brooks, unless these are clear 

 and gravelly. Whether they will thrive in artificial, 

 ponds, we can only know from experiment." With refer- 



*David S. Jordan. "The Habits and the value for food of the Amer- 

 ican channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus, Rafinesque). Bull. U. S. 

 F. C, 1885., p. 34. 



