Getting to Know Channel Catfish
Their Habits, Health Benefits, and Other Channel Cat Facts
Oct 27, 2009
Although channel catfish (often called “channel cats” or “kitties”) have been declared the state fish of Nebraska, Tennessee, Iowa, and Missouri, these scaleless, whiskered aquatic animals can be found all over the United States and in parts of Canada and Mexico. They stand apart from other members of the catfish family in that they’re the only spotted North American catfish with a rounded anal fin and a deeply forked tail. While their size and abundance make them a favorite among anglers, channel cats rank high with fish eaters too because of their appealing flavor and flesh quality.
Catching Channel Catfish
So where’s a good place to catch channel cats? Most of them live in large streams and rivers with deep water and sandy or gravelly bottoms, but they also inhabit lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. They are mainly bottom feeders that like to eat crayfish, frogs, aquatic insects, fish, and plant material. One of the best spots to fish for channel cats is along the Red River of the North, where its tributaries are ideal for spawning. In fact, the murky waters of the Red boast an abundance of kitties from Moorhead, Minnesota, to Lake Winnipeg. (The common flooding of the river actually helps the fish by allowing them to reach parts of the river that are otherwise blocked by low-head dams.) In general, the cats of the Red River get bigger the farther downstream they’re caught.
Taste and Nutritional Value
Besides being fun to catch, channel cats are one of the most widely consumed fish around. A traditional Southern food, catfish is inexpensive, tasty, and easy to fix. Whether freshly caught or purchased at the store, it can be cooked in less than fifteen minutes by grilling, baking, pan frying, broiling, even microwaving. Farm-raised channel catfish has an especially mild flavor and soft texture that win over even the pickiest fish eaters. Eating catfish has many health benefits, too. Although other fish contain higher levels of Omega 3 fatty acids, catfish is a good source of vitamins and minerals, including potassium, selenium, Vitamin D, and Vitamin B12. Plus, catfish is high in protein and low in calories, fat, and sodium. In general, eating fish a few times a week can significantly reduce the risk of inflammatory conditions, heart disease, and certain cancers.
Interested in learning more? Here are some other fun facts about channel catfish:
- During spawning season, females produce 3,000 – 4,000 eggs per pound of body weight. Channel cats spawn in secluded, dark areas, like in hollow logs. The male selects, prepares and defends the nest.
- Channel cats have more than 27,000 taste buds (compared to our 10,000) that can be found on their bodies, inside their mouths — even on their whiskers.
- Channel cats like to move and feed at night. During the day, they stay protected in deep holes covered by logs and rocks.
- Of the nearly 40 species of catfish in North America, channel cats are the most common catfish raised for food.
- Most channel cats weigh in at 2 to 4 pounds when caught, but the biggest channel catfish on record in North America weighed 58 pounds. It was caught in 1964 in Santee Cooper Reservoir, South Carolina.
- Channel cats don’t usually live to be more than 11 years old, however the oldest channel catfish on record reached 40 years of age.
Anyone who likes catching or eating fish will surely enjoy channel catfish. As the official fish of four states, channel cats are an abundant aquatic animal that make a fun sport fish, a tasty and healthful meal item, and an interesting topic to study.
Sources:
North Dakota Fish and Game Department.
NutritionData.com.
SHG Resources. “Nebraska Symbols, State Fish: Channel Catfish.”
Wellborn, Thomas L. “Channel Catfish: Life History and Biology,” Southern Regional Aquaculture Center.
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