Invasive fish poised to be 'apex predators' after eating their way into rivers
An invasive species of fish is poised to take on the role of "apex predators" as they invade yet another river and threaten native fish.
The flathead catfish has invaded another river in Georgia, with state officials warning that the predator would threaten native species including the prized redbreast sunfish. According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR), systemic sampling carried out in August found more than a dozen flathead catfish in a stretch of the Ogeechee River just upstream from Interstate 95.
Anglers are being urged to catch as many of the invasive species as they can and to report them to the state Wildlife Resources Division. But, they are being warned not to release them back into the Ogeechee River.
Wildlife Resources biologist Joel Fleming warned: "They are going to be one of the apex predators around every system once they establish those populations. If they can fit it in their mouth, they're going to eat it."
Back in December 2021, a commercial fisherman caught one flathead catfish in the river. But, despite extensive sampling, none of the fish had been found since then.
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Flathead catfish can grow to weigh more than 100lbs (45kg) and decimate native fish populations (AP)That was until sampling was carried out in August 2023. The GDRN said: "Staff have monitored the river and hoped it was a lone occurrence.
"Unfortunately, in August 2023, flathead catfish were captured during sampling efforts. Since then, over a dozen have been removed from the Ogeechee."
The flathead catfish is a species native to numerous rivers which drain into the Gulf of Mexico, including the Coosa River drainage in northwest Georgia. But the fish has now become established in multiple rivers across Georgia that drain into the Atlantic Ocean, including the Satilla, Altamaha, and Savannah Rivers.
The GDNR warned: "Flatheads can pose a significant ecological risk when introduced into new water bodies, primarily through predation on native species."
A long-running war has been underway between Georgia officials and the invasive catfish in the Satilla River, which drains parts of southeast Georgia before discharging into the Atlantic Ocean north of Brunswick. They removed a total of 64,000 flathead catfish from the river between 2007 and 2016.
Wildlife biologist have said the flathead, which can grow to weigh more than 100lbs (45kg), have decimated populations of native fish in the Satilla basin. Back in 1998, a man in Kansas caught a record-breaking catfish which weighed in at a whopping 121lbs (54.8kg).
Just three months ago, another man caught a 66lb (30kg) flathead in Pennsylvania, breaking the state's record. Mr Fleming said around 20 flathead had been pulled from he Ogeechee as of Monday.
Of those removed, the average size was around 17 inches at the end of August, but one flathead removed by a two-person crew on Monday measured longer than 38 inches.
Mr Fleming said biologists believe the flathead caught in the Ogeechee may have "wandered in" from the Savannah River through coastal waterways when the rivers were high. Around six or seven people are using electrical currents to stun fish on the river and count the different catfish species.
Sampling crews currently can't tell for sure just how far upstream the flathead catfish have spread. This is because they're removing the fish and killing them, instead of tagging them and releasing them.
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Coastal regions fisheries supervisor for the Department of Natural Resources, Tim Barrett, said crews can only hope to maintain the current population of flathead catfish in the Ogeechee. He said: "It's just physically impossible to take them all out."
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