The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-04
THE CATFISH AND ITS HABITS.
Interesting Facts from the Report of
Fish Commissioner Bowers.

Fish Commissioner Bowers.
Washington Letter in New York Post.
George NJ. Bowers. the fish commissioner.
declares In a recent report that the catfish
had not been given the attention 1t de-
serves. especially when the amount Of
space devoted to the black bass or the
willy pike is taken into account These Mr..
Bowers was inclined to regard as the most
intellectual fish until he acquired a closer
acquaintance with the catfish through
some Investigations made by Prof. Kendall
of his staff.
The catfish abhors running water. 1t
likes to find a pond with muddy bottom
on which it can repose after having salts
fed its ravenous appetite. Prof Kendall
says the appetite of an ordinary catfish is
wonder. 1t eats necessarily day and
night, proving along the bottom Of the
pond or river with its barbels widely spread,
searching the mud beneath and the water
Anything from angleworm to a piece
of tomato can be bolted with the greatest
relish. In the search of food 1t displays
great strategic ability. Prof. Kendall has
watched catfish carefully select a spot
where the mud is the same color as their
dark skin, bury their yellow stomachs in
the mud with only barbels and dusky fore
head exposed, and then wait for hours for
the unwary prey. When IL comes along, out
darts the catfish and that is the end Of
his victim. This fact alone, the fish COM
mission experts declare. is enough to show
that the cat is a very intellectual fish:
But there are other reasons for boasting
of his brain power. The experts say that
the species is easily tanned, and can be
trained like pigs. When it is recalled that
there are several troops of educated pigs
going about the country this is no small
compliment. The catfish knows the law OF
self-preservation as we'll as any other OF
the finny tribe. If the water becomes warm
In summer. he survives because he knows
how to make the best of a bad situation.
Should the air supply in the water fail,
| the catfish, instead of turning up on his
back, will set about taking care of him.
renew the air in his swim bladder, and
even, frog-like or turtle-like,. swallow
air in bulk, trusting to stomach respira-
| ton.
| fish will seek out some comfortable crack
| In the mud and lie dormant for days OF
weeks until the pond fills up again. He is
a great lover of home, and when once COM
fortabIy settled in a pond viii move only
on extraordinary Inducements. When the
spring freshets come the catfish does not
permit himself to be washed out of home,
as most other fishes do for he buries him.
self in the mud and If the flood dislodges
him II only does so by carrying away the
bottom Of the pond. After such catastro.
| up his all commanding habit of eating until
he is situated again to his liking
The catfish takes eXceptl0nally SOOd care
| Of his family. Both the male and the fe-
male watch over the little ones, and Pro-
| lessor Kendall was agreeably surprised to
| find that the predaceous feeding habits OF
| the old fish do not go so far as TO permit
| II to eat its own young as do bass and
| other more highly esteemed fish. Mr.. Ken
| dali, in watching a pair or old catnsn
| raise their young, discovered that when he
| threw pieces Of beef liver into the pond fol-
| the young the old fish would seize IL and
| apparently swallow il. together with the
| dozens of little catfish, which were eating
| at and hanging on to the meat. They In
mouths quite uninjured, the parent fish
seeming to be able to discriminate its prop
| er food. .
The fish commissioner is Of opinion that
| the catfish is much moderated also by
| those who gauge it's commercial value
They saw that it is one of the very best
| pan fishes. It's meat is white, crisp and
iuicy and of excellent flavor. The experts
| consider the flesh of the channel catfish su-
| perior to that of the black bass, the wall.
| eve the yellow perch, or any other percoid
fishes Among fresh water fish they say II
| is inferior only to the white fish and the
| trout The other varieties OF catfish are
| not so good for table purposes, but their
| flesh is nutritious and of fair flavor.
Prof Kendall calls this the poor mans
| fish. and predicts that when the public
| comes to know the merits of the catfish
| better there will be great deal OF money
| made by raising them In artificial ponds