The blue catfish is a large, smooth-skinned fish with a bluish-gray body and whisker-like barbels around the mouth. (rbairdpccam/Flickr)
The blue catfish is a large, smooth-skinned fish with a bluish-gray body and whisker-like barbels around the mouth. It lives in medium and large rivers, mostly in Virginia.
Appearance:
Bluish-gray body
Silvery white belly
Smooth-skinned
Four pairs of black, whisker-like barbels around the mouth. The pair at the corners of the mouth is twice as long as the other pairs.
Deeply forked tail fin
Usually grows less than 2 feet long, but can be as long as 5.5 feet and weigh as much as 100 pounds
Habitat:
Lives mostly in fresh water, but occasionally moves into brackish waters
Most often found in backwaters and main channels of rivers
Prefers waters with a moderate or swift current and a sandy bottom
Bottom-dweller
Range:
Found in medium to large Chesapeake Bay rivers, such as the James, Potomac and Rappahannock rivers
Feeding:
Bottom-feeder
Eats algae, insects, mollusks, crustaceans, crayfish and other fish
Uses its long barbels to taste for prey
Reproduction and Life Cycle:
Spawns from April-June
The parents build a nest in a dark, protected area such as under a rock or inside a hollow, submerged log
The female lays a mass of eggs into the nest
Both parents care for the eggs and young
Young catfish often form schools after hatching
Usually lives at least 10 years
Other Facts:
Not native to the Bay watershed
A popular recreational catch
The Maryland state record blue catfish weighed 65.5 pounds
Catfish have poor eyesight, so they rely on their sensory barbels to find prey
Sources and Additional Information:
Fishes of Chesapeake Bay by Edward O. Murdy, Ray S. Birdsong and John A. Musick
