Walking+Catfish+-+Jas

= = = = =**Walking Catfish **=

__General Information__
The scientific name being Clarias Batrachus, from the family of clariidae and order of siluriformes, walking catfish are from 100 of its 13 genera. For example, the Airsac catfish is the member of the same order, instead of walking on land and breathing air, this relative packs a venomous punch! Enough to kill humans with its bad temper! The catfish usually has a elongated body, which makes them almost eel-like. Their fins, both dorsal and anal, are long based ad do not have a spinal structure located at the from of their bodies. Caudal fins can join the anal and dorsal but the adipose fi is most likely to be absent. Their pectoral fin is used to aid in walking all the while their bodies are scaleless. The head of a catfish is mostly flat and their eyes can go from tiny and well formed or to not being there at all. It has 4 barbels located inside of their mouths. The walking catfish originates mainly in Africa and the Middle East and Western Asia.(cite 1)

__Detailed Description__
 Walking Catfish generally breed at night, at the very beginning of the rainy season in shallow waters. Once spawning is complete, the eggs are left unprotected, making the nesting of eggs possible. Their eggs hatch at around 20 to 30 hours after the spawning process has completed. They ted to grow from 4.7 inches to 4.6 feet in length. Catfish ages tend to vary. Though they are opportunists they consume a wide variety of food items including small fishes, aquatic insects, plant material, and detritus: also scavenge on dead fish. Being a voracious predator, it uses its ability to walk from polluted water to fresh, clean water; using the pollution as its advantage to protect itself in new waters. They move from water to water most times because of the lack of food and because they can survive where other species cannot thrive. Allowing them to produce offspring more rapidly.(cite 4) media type="youtube" key="LNHbUn0k7BI" height="344" width="425" media type="youtube" key="XsZAcFDjtcg" height="344" width="425"

__Habitat and Distribution__
 Walking Catfish can be found in a variety of habitats but mainly ca be encountered in muddy or swampy water of high murkiness. As a southeastern Asian native species, it established itself all through most of Florida. Currently, in the U.S., walking catfish are being collected in California and Connecticut and all through parts of the Mississippi. Distribution- Within the watershed, a record of collections are currently available for the Clarias Batrachus in the Indian River, Palm Beach Counties, Brevard and St. Lucie.(cite 1) 

__Impacts__
Being the hardy fish it is, Walking catfish have a generally negative effect on its ecosystem. Having moved from one water mass to another, farmers have to install barrier fences to prevent the catfish from eating the live fish stock in the farms. These costs tend to rise and cause the farmers stock to die down, this gives humans and their economy bad effects. The catfish is also negative to its ecosystem due to the pollutants it brings with it from other bodies of water. Walking catfish impact humans economy due to their new inhabitance in major and vast transportation lakes. They put jobs and money a stake and can have long term effects. The pollution in the water can harm humans who consume the fish that live in the ecosystems the catfish go in and out of. (cite 3 and 2)

__Control Measures__
By blacklisting walking catfish, a vote against the possession of the fish, can prevent the spread of a population, thus keeping the species contained and protected. Seeing that poisoning waters the fish can just walk away from is pointless, and the the way to benefit both humans and the species is the "blackballing" of it.(Cite 4)

__Works Cited__
 code 1)Masterson, J. ////Smithsonian Marine Station At Fort Pierce////. N.p., June-July 2007. Web. 14 Dec. 2009.    .

2) Froese, Rainer. "Clarias Batrachus." ////Fish Base////. Ed. Auda Kareen Ortanez. N.p., June-July 2009. Web. code code     14 Dec. 2009. .

3) Unknown. "Protect Your Waters." ////Protect Your Waters////. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2009. code code    .

4) Brogan, Christine. "Introduced Species Summary Project." ////Columbia University////. N.p., 30 Sept. 2003. code  Web. 14 Dec. 2009.