An Invasive Catfish Predator Is Eating Its Way Into Another Georgia River

An Invasive Catfish Predator Is Eating Its Way Into Another Georgia River

By Associated Press

Source: usnews

9/27/2023

Credit: Georgia Department of Natural Resources via AP

Flathead catfish are invading another Georgia river, state officials warn, a predator that would threaten native fish included the prized redbreast sunfish.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said that systematic sampling in August found more than a dozen flathead catfish in a stretch of the Ogeechee River just upstream from Interstate 95.

Wildlife officials are urging anglers to catch as many flathead as they can and report them to the state Wildlife Resources Division, but not to release them back into the Ogeechee.

“They are going to be one of the apex predators around every system once they establish those populations,” Wildlife Resources biologist Joel Fleming told The Telegraph of Macon. “If they can fit it in their mouth, they’re going to eat it.”

A commercial fisherman had caught one flathead in the river in December 2021, but none of the fish had been found since then, despite extensive sampling.

News Id		Source	Stamp	country
2326	‘River of fish’ making its way in desert is something you mustn’t miss	odishatv	2022-10-09	IN
2327	Where can the biggest bass be caught in Northeast Tennessee?	wjhl	2022-09-23	US
2328	Woman catches super rare ‘gold’ fish in her backyard pond	nypost	2022-10-07	US
2329	Snail Darter declared officially recovered, ending decades-long conservation effort	wjhl	2022-10-04	US
2330	Florida freediver catches pending world record fish with spear	usatoday	2022-10-05	US
2331	600 dinosaur-like fish to be released into the Tennessee River	newschannel9	2022-10-05	US
2332	Which fish are best to catch when it gets cold in Tennessee?	wjhl	2022-09-30	US
2333	Invasive fish could eradicate Tennessee bass species	wjhl	2022-10-04	US
2334	Scientists Track Eels to Their Ocean Breeding Grounds in World-First	sciencealert	2022-10-19	EU
2335	Yale researchers create a new amphibious turtle robot with shape-shifting limbs	interestingengineering	2022-10-16	US
2336	B.C. First Nations seek action on sturgeon deaths, after court blamed declines on dam	globalnews	2022-10-13	CA
2337	Sambro, N.S., fisher, fish buyer, violated law during unmonitored halibut offloads, judge rules	CBC News	2022-10-13	CA
2338	America's largest trout producer gains ASC certification	The Fish Site	2022-10-13	US
2339	Пришла осень, вода остывает, у рыбы закончилось кормовое изобилие	Охотники.ру	2022-10-06	RU
2340	Low water levels along French river help to reveal medieval fishery	medievalists	2022-10-06	FR
2341	Competitive fishing has a cheating problem, and these Canadian anglers say they've seen it happen	CBC News	2022-10-06	CA
2342	Tiny Fish at Center of 1970s Supreme Court Case Achieves Redemption	cnet	2022-10-06	US
2343	25,000 Pounds of Invasive Carp Taken in Missouri’s Grand River	sportfishingmag	2022-10-06	US
2344	Pair of anglers embroiled in Lake Erie fishing cheating controversy indicted on felony charges	Fox News	2022-10-12	US
2345	The link between trout genetics and sustainability	The Fish Site	2022-10-14	FR
2346	Новые методы фиксации численности рыбы в водоемах России	Рыболовство.	2022-10-13	RU
2347	Объевшись мальков горбуши	Охотники.ру	2022-10-04	RU
2348	"Fishing can teach you life lessons" Words of wisdom from the streams of Appalachia	wlos	2022-09-25	US
2349	Angler reels pending-record blue catfish from Tennessee river	usatoday	2022-09-26	US
2350	Young man illegally fishing at MacRitchie Reservoir throws fish back into water	mothership	2022-09-27	SG