Ictalurus punctatus

History of Spread

Ictalurus punctatus (Channel Catfish) is native to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence, and Mississippi-Gulf drainages, from south Quebec and Mantioba and MT, south to FL-TX. Its range includes a small part of the Arctic drainage (Red River MN) (Page and Burr 1991). The northern boundary of I. punctatus native range on the Atlantic coastal plain is uncertain. It has been considered possibly native north to the Susquehanna by some authors (Page and Burr 1991), but its introduction to Chesapeake drainages is clearly documented. Its bones were not found in remains at a 250-800 year old Indian settlement on the James River (Whyte 1989, cited by Jenkins and Burkhead 1993), and there are no clear early records. It is native to the Florida peninsula, possibly introduced in GA; and probably in NC and SC (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993). Ictalurus punctatus were widely stocked by United States Fish Commission (USFC) and state agencies as a food and gamefish. In 1892 and 1893, USFC shipped batches of 10-40,000 fish to 20+ states, including MD, VA and DC, but also western states; e.g. WA, CO, ID (Bean 1893; Worth 1895). It is now introduced through most of United States (Page and Burr 1991), including the Connecticut River (Fuller et al. 1999)., the Hudson River (Mills et al. 1997) and the Delaware River (Horwitz 1986), San Francisco Bay (Cohen and Carlton 1995), and the Columbia Rive. It is introduced in at least 30 states, and established in most (Fuller et al. 1999).

Ictalurus punctatus has been introduced into 32 countries worldwide, including 9 European countries. An aquaculture introduction was not permitted in New Zealand (Food and Agriculture Organization 1998; Townsend and Winterbourn 1992; Wellcome 1991).

This species has become common across the Chesapeake Bay drainage, and in most tidal tributaries. Records are listed below:

James River- Ictalurus punctatus was stocked in 1893-1904 by the Virginia Fish Commission (VFC) and the USFC (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993).

York River- I. punctatus was abundant by 1949 in Pamunkey River (Raney and Massmann 1953) and was probably introduced much earlier. In a Virginia Institute of Marine Science trawl survey, I. punctatus was most common at tidal freshwater-oligohaline stations and extended downriver to station Y 25 (25 mi. from Bay mouth); the native White Catfish (Ameiurus catus) was more common in brackish water and extended to station Y 10 (Markle 1976).

Rappahannock River- Three hundred I. punctatus fingerlings were planted in 1906 by the USFC (Bowers 1907). This catfish was abundant by 1951 (Massmann et al. 1952). It was collected only in the coastal Plain and estuary of this river system (Maurakis et al. 1987).

Potomac River- I. punctatus was stocked in 1889-1909 by Virginia Fish Commission and USFC; at locations between Quantico VA and Hagerstown MD (Smith and Bean 1898; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993), and was abundant by 1915 (McAtee and Weed 1915). It is now found downriver to Maryland Point; and in tributaries to Wicomico River further downstream (Lippson et al. 1979).

Patuxent River- 'This species should be considered rare until it becomes better established' (Mansueti 1950). It is now found in tidal waters at Jug Bay, but we do not know its abudance (Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary 1995).

Susquehanna River - I. punctatus was stocked in 1910-1919 in PA by United States Fish Commission (Bowers 1914; Leach 1921). However it was not listed by Fowler (1919; 1948) or Greeley (1939) for the Susquehanna drainage. However, it was collected in 1949 at Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River, and was reported as common there in 1958, Howarth 1961) and throughout the Susquehanna in PA (Bielo 1963).

Upper Bay and Drainages - I. punctatus was stocked in the Patapsco River MD; 1919 (Leach 1919), but was not found in early upper Bay surveys (Fowler 1917; Fowler 1933; Hildebrand and Schroeder 1928; Radcliffe and Welsh 1917). The first published field records were from 1958, on the Susquehanna Flats, where it was common (Howarth 1961, and in the Northeast River, where it was the most abundant gamefish in a creel survey(Elser 1960). It was common in the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal by 1970 (Wang 1971), and common down the Bay to Back River, north of Baltimore (Lippson et al. 1973). It has been caught rarely in the Rhode River, where Amieurus catus (White Catfish) was more frequent (Hines et al. unpublished data).

Eastern Shore Tributaries - I. punctatus was considered widespread in 1976 (Lee et al. 1976), but was probably introduced much earlier. Lippson et al.'s (1973) maps show I. punctatus as limited to Upper Bay tributaries, but it is now abundant south to the Pocomoke River (Secor 1996).

Delaware River and Bay - I. punctatus was stocked at many locations in the Delaware drainage by the USFC (Bowers 1911). However, it was not listed by Fowler for DE (1911) or by Fowler (1919; 1948) or Greeley (1936) for Delaware River Basin in PA and NY, but was well established by the 1960's (Wang 1971).

History References - Bean 1893; Bielo 1963; Bowers 1907; Bowers 1911; Elser 1960; Food and Agriculture Organization 1998; Fowler 1911; Fowler 1912; Fowler 1917; Fowler 1919; Fowler 1933; Fowler 1948; Fuller et al. 1999; Greeley 1939; Hildebrand and Schroeder 1928; Howarth 1961; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993; Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary 1995; Leach 1921; Lee et al. 1976; Lippson et al. 1973; Lippson et al. 1979; Mansueti 1950; Markle 1976; Massmann et al. 1952; Maurakis et al. 1987; McAtee and Weed 1915; Page and Burr 1991; Radcliffe and Welsh 1917; Raney and Massmann 1953; Secor 1996; Smith and Bean 1898; Townsend and Winterbourn 1992; Wang 1971; Wellcome 1991; Worth 1895

Invasion Comments