Feeding ecology of generalist consumers: a case study of invasive blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus in Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, USA

Evaluation of Recreational Hand‐Crank Electrofishing on Introduced Catfish Species in Southeastern North Carolina

“…Total mean W r values for each reach in the Cape Fear River were lower than those in the other three rivers. The Cape Fear River Flathead Catfish population is the oldest introduced population in North Carolina, and lower W r values may be influenced by density‐dependent factors through direct competition or by density‐independent factors (e.g., environmental conditions within the watershed; Schmitt et al., in press).…”

“…Flathead Catfish and Blue Catfish are long lived, can have fast growth rates, and can attain large sizes (Graham ; Kwak et al. ; Schmitt et al., in press). Diet studies on introduced populations of Flathead Catfish have documented an opportunistic feeding strategy, with fish and crayfish comprising much of their diet (Pine et al.…”

“…Fewer studies have focused on the negative impacts of Blue Catfish introductions on native species in North Carolina, although impacts may be substantial, as large Blue Catfish are primarily piscivorous (Schmitt et al. , in press). Blue Catfish in coastal rivers of Virginia have been found to have a very diverse diet, feeding on both native and nonnative species from multiple taxa (Schmitt et al.…”

“…Blue Catfish in coastal rivers of Virginia have been found to have a very diverse diet, feeding on both native and nonnative species from multiple taxa (Schmitt et al. , in press). Schloesser et al.…”

“…Removal efforts for Blue Catfish in Virginia have focused on incentivizing commercial harvest (Schmitt et al. , in press). The cost of removing nonnative species in the Colorado River ranged from US$2 to $86 per fish (Mueller ).…”