Subject: Catfish mass deaths

From: "Bob Ridgeway" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 23 Jun 1996 19:20:57 -0500

Does anyone know the latest theory on the mass deaths of hard-head catfish
along the nothern Gulf of Mexico?
-- 
The shortest distance between two points is a infinite series of other
points.

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From: [email-masked](brett rowley)
Date: 24 Jun 1996 03:18:16 GMT

>along the nothern Gulf of Mexico?
I live on the coast (about 10 miles inland as the crow flies) between
Galveston and Freeport.  Took my family to the beach at Surfside last
weekend and no dead catfish, in fact, I caught several of the spiny
boogers on my surf rod.  The theory that I've heard on the news (must
be true if its on the news, huh?) is an ameobic parasite is causing the
deaths of two species in the sea catfish family (Bagridae).  They are
hardheads (aka TRs or turd rustlers, not my name, a local term I
geauss) and gaftopsail catfish (called gaftops aroud here).  Sorry,
don't know the scientific names.  I haven't tried calling the local
marine agent, but I bet he has the latest theory.  If somebody wishes
to pursue another information source than usenet, they might try
calling the Brazoria County Courthouse in Angleton, Texas and asking
for the marine agent, Charles Moss, if anybody knows, he does.  Hope
this helps,

Brett Rowley
Fisheries Biologist
Great Lakes Sportfishing Resort and Koi Breeding Farm
West Columbia, Texas

http://home.cdsnet.net/~dearlix/index.html

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From: [email-masked] (Vertay)
Date: 23 Jun 1996 23:35:42 -0400

We have had a similar (tho smaller scale) die-off along the Indian River
Lagoon (east central Florida)- in tributaries (brackish) to the Lagoon. 
Some 1000-2000 dead in the St. Sebastian River (Brevard County).  The
local environmental regulators are fingering low DO's (none taken) and
claiming that catfish (being bottom dwellers ) cannot escape.  There have
been no other species impacted.  Seems unlikey that DO is the culprit?
D. Scott Taylor

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From: ghays <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 27 Jun 1996 12:46:47 -0500

claiming that catfish (being bottom dwellers ) cannot escape.  There 
have
> D. Scott TaylorI just went fishing Sunday evening about 15 miles north of the Sebastian
River (Eau Gallie causeway area) and noticed small dead catfish floating
in the river.  Not large numbers, but perhaps 15 to 20 during 2 hours
fishing.  They were not in bunches, but random.

Gary

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From: [email-masked] (John Caldeira)
Date: Sun, 30 Jun 1996 23:32:27 GMT

Low oxygen in June???  Maybe, but the only time wild catfish seem to
die from lack of oxygen in broilin' hot Dallas seems to be when
they're caught on a trotline and can't make it towards the surface.
Hope someone finds out the FACTS on the mass catfish deaths.

Cheers,
John in Dallas

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From: [email-masked] (Thomas Roesch)
Date: 3 Jul 1996 09:35:55 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] 
says...
>Hope someone finds out the FACTS on the mass catfish deaths.
...
n the river.  Not large numbers, but perhaps 15 to 20 during 2 hours
>>fishing.  They were not in bunches, but random.

Hi everybody,

I am not a speciallist but due to supersaturation the so called gas bubble 
disease could occur. This disease is leding to death and similar to the 
thing tht happens if a scuba diver comes up to fast.

Thomas from Germany

-- 
+---+  Thomas Roesch
|GhK|  Universitaet Gesamthochschule Kassel   Tel.: 0561-804-3538
+---+  Kurt-Wolters-Str. 3, D-34109 Kassel    Fax : 0561-804-3952
       e-mail  [email-masked]
       http://www.uni-kassel.de/fb14/wasserbau/Welcome.html

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From: [email-masked] (Richard Matheson)
Date: 4 Jul 1996 13:48:11 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, 
[email-masked] 
>....

     It seems doubtful that low DO would selectively kill catfish. I 
assume that we are talking about hardheads (Arius felis). If so, a few 
scattered dead fish may be the result of fishing. They are commonly 
caught and most people just kill them and dump them overboard (I'm not 
condoning the practice, just reporting it).
     I don't have all the details available to me at this time, but the 
mass deaths of hardheads on the west coast of Florida was apparently due 
to an amoebic infection.

Ed Matheson

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  R.E. MATHESON  [email-masked]