Abstract:
Eagle Creek, Monroe, Patoka, Brookville, and Cecil M. Harden are Indiana reservoirs
ranging in size from 546 to 4,343 hectares, and are primarily managed for flood control and
recreation. Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is a valuable part of the recreational fishery in
these reservoirs, but unfortunately, scant information is known about their current status. Our
objectives for this study were: 1. determine age and growth of channel catfish, 2. compare
population demographics such as length and age frequency distributions, and 3. determine
mortality. A total of 1,022 fish was collected up to age-10. Hierarchical growth population
models using Bayesian statistics showed growth rates and mortality rates were not statistically
different among reservoirs. Growth rates ranged from 0.07 to 0.12, and mean total annual
mortality rates ranged from 0.21 to 0.26. Low instantaneous fishing mortality rates, 0.06 to
0.08, suggested the Channel Catfish fishery was under-used and should be promoted to Indiana
anglers.
