You may have missed it, but on June 25 anglers around the country were encouraged to celebrate National Catfish Day. Honest! That day honors one of the favorite fish of anglers here in Florida and elsewhere.
It was on June 25, 1987, that President Ronald Reagan issued a presidential decree with these words: “More and more Americans are discovering a uniquely American food delicacy—farm-raised catfish.” He went on to declare that, “The catfish that are available today, fresh or frozen in markets nationwide, are products of state-of-the-art methods of aquaculture. They thrive in clean freshwater ponds on many American farms, where they are surface-fed soybean meal, corn, fish meal, vitamins, and minerals. Farm-raised catfish not only furnish American consumers with a tasty delicacy but also provide a nutritious, low-calorie source of protein that is also low in cholesterol.”
The President and Congress encouraged Americans to observe National Catfish Day in appropriate fashion then and in the future. Having had my children catch catfish in stocked ponds and seeing how much they enjoyed the “easiness” of such fishing, I have come to appreciate that species of fish.
Catfish of all species take their name from their barbels or whiskers, which look like a cat’s whiskers. They can have up to four pairs of barbels, which help the fish avoid enemies that lurk in the murky waters where the catfish live and also help them find food. Catfish actually use their skin to taste any tempting morsels around them. One scientist described the fish as having skin that is full of taste buds. Catfish are important commercially, and those that are raised in carefully monitored stocked ponds make up a very large percentage of American catfish in our markets today.
Catfish (Bagre marinus) have no scales and can be hard to clean without the proper tools. Some catfish have spines that can inflict a powerful injury to the unwary. Not all catfish are beneficial for Florida, however. Among the undesirable catfish are an invasive species of so-called walking catfish (Clarias batrachus), which get their name from their ability to use their pectoral fins to wiggle across the land to find food or a new place to live. Supposedly imported to Florida in the 1960s for the aquarium trade before officials banned them, they have managed to invade aquaculture farms to prey on the fish there. Fish farmers have built fences to keep out the walking catfish, but only time will tell how successful the banning of such an invasive species is.
Anyway, I hope you were able to raise a cold one on June 25 in honor of the catfish, and maybe even fry up some catfish to go with it and enjoy one of our tastiest Florida fish.
Kevin McCarthy, the author of “South Florida Waterways” (2013 – available at amazon.com for $7), can be reached at ceyhankevin@gmail.com.