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Home/Species/ Channel Catfish

Ictalurus punctatus

(Rafinesque, 1818)

Channel Catfish

G5Secure Found in 19 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
MediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106404
Element CodeAFCKA01100
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderSiluriformes
FamilyIctaluridae
GenusIctalurus
Concept Reference
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Some authors have included I. lupus in this species. The Ictalurus punctatus group in Mexico is in need of revision (Lundberg 1992).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-10-05
Change Date1996-09-19
Edition Date2025-10-05
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G. (2012); rev. R. L. Gundy (2025)
Threat ImpactMedium
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
This species is widespread and abundant throughout the native range across the eastern U.S. and Canada. The primary threat is harvest by commercial and recreational fishing.
Range Extent Comments
The native range includes the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes, Hudson Bay (Red River drainage), and Missouri-Mississippi river basins from southern Quebec to southern Manitoba and Montana, south to Gulf of Mexico; possibly also native on Atlantic and Gulf slopes from Susquehanna River to Neuse River, and from Savannah River to Lake Okeechobee, and west to northern Mexico and eastern New Mexico (Page and Burr 2011).

It is also widely introduced throughout most of the United States (Page and Burr 2011). Introduced populations are not considered for this assessment.
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Threat Impact Comments
This species is highly sought after by commercial and recreational fisherman. Fishing regulations and stocking programs are needed to maintain healthy fisheries.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Habitat includes the main channels of small to large rivers, from clear, rapidly flowing, firm-bottomed ones to turbid, mud-bottomed ones, and ponds, lakes, and reservoirs; this species avoids upland streams. Adults usually are in pools or under log jams or cut banks by day, move into riffles at night. Eggs are laid in cave-like sites, such as old muskrat burrows, undercut banks, or log jams, or debris (e.g., barrels). In streams, young-of-year live fulltime in riffles.

Ecology

May travel hundreds of miles upstream or downstream in rivers (Becker 1983). Through competition and/or hybridization, has eliminated I. LUPUS from most of original range in New Mexico (Sublette et al. 1990).

Reproduction

Spawns in late spring and summer. Eggs hatch in 5-10 days. Males guard and fan water over nest during incubation and stay with young after hatching. Schools of young may persist several weeks after departure from nest. Sexually mature in 2-8 years. Females spawn once annually (Scott and Crossman 1973, Moyle 1976).
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
New MexicoS5Yes
New HampshireSNANo
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
South DakotaS5Yes
VirginiaS4Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
KansasS5Yes
AlabamaS5Yes
UtahSNANo
MichiganS5Yes
North CarolinaSNAYes
District of ColumbiaSNANo
IndianaS5Yes
MassachusettsSNANo
West VirginiaS5Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
ColoradoSNANo
MarylandSNANo
MissouriSNRYes
NevadaSNANo
TexasS5Yes
WisconsinS5Yes
OhioS5Yes
FloridaSNRYes
TennesseeS5Yes
New JerseyS4Yes
ArizonaSNANo
DelawareSNANo
IdahoSNANo
North DakotaSNRYes
WyomingS5Yes
New YorkS5Yes
GeorgiaS5Yes
OregonSNANo
South CarolinaS5Yes
MontanaS5Yes
CaliforniaSNANo
IowaS5Yes
MississippiS5Yes
ConnecticutSNANo
LouisianaS5Yes
IllinoisS5Yes
WashingtonSNANo
Rhode IslandSNANo
NebraskaS5Yes
VermontS4Yes
Navajo NationSNANo
ArkansasS4Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
QuebecS5Yes
ManitobaS5Yes
OntarioS4Yes
SaskatchewanS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
5 - Biological resource usePervasive (71-100%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
5.4 - Fishing & harvesting aquatic resourcesPervasive (71-100%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (19)
Arizona (2)
AreaForestAcres
GoldfieldTonto National Forest15,257
Lower San FranciscoApache-Sitgreaves National Forests59,310
California (2)
AreaForestAcres
City CreekSan Bernardino National Forest9,997
Greenhorn CreekSequoia National Forest28,226
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
Mississippi (1)
AreaForestAcres
Sandy Creek Rare Ii AreaHomochitto National Forest2,620
New Mexico (3)
AreaForestAcres
Candian RiverCibola National Forest7,149
Chama WS RiverSanta Fe National Forest4,168
Lower San FranciscoGila National Forest26,460
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Woods MountainPisgah National Forest9,602
Oregon (2)
AreaForestAcres
HomesteadWallowa-Whitman National Forest5,817
Mountain SheepWallowa-Whitman National Forest19,457
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Little Lake CreekNational Forests in Texas596
Utah (3)
AreaForestAcres
Mt. NaomiWasatch-Cache National Forest41,922
South FrancisWasatch-Cache National Forest3,374
WellsvilleWasatch-Cache National Forest1,717
Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Mill MountainGeorge Washington National Forest10,840
North Fork PoundJefferson National Forest4,757
West Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Middle MountainMonongahela National Forest19,020
References (48)
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