Channel Catfish Habitat Use and Diet in the Middle Mississippi River

Abstract

Abstract River modifications have had detrimental effects on biota that depend on river systems; therefore, information is needed to understand these effects and direct management efforts. Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) are important recreationally, commercially, and ecologically in the Middle Mississippi River (MMR), but few studies have examined their habitat requirements, and food habits have not been evaluated in the MMR. Information about habitat use and food habits could help direct management efforts for channel catfish. To more thoroughly understand the synergistic relation between channel catfish and the associated habitat, we used data from the United States Army Corps of Engineer’s Long-Term Resource Monitoring Program to evaluate channel catfish use of large-scale river features (i.e., macrohabitats) and more fine scale mesohabitats (i.e., substrate type, depth, and velocity). Stomach contents from channel catfish were identified and quantified to determine the relative importance of sp...