5 dead flathead catfish

[Blacky]

Was fishing below Fairmount Dam in Philly and saw a conservation officer, biologist, and waterworks workers cleaning out the fish ladder. Lying on the ground was 5 flatheads lying on the ground. The smallest was 28lbs and the biggest at around 41lbs (I was able to converse with the biologist). The guys took the fish down by the bank and slip thier bellies and threw them back. The largest flat was still swimming so I was able to go downstream and snag it with my lure (It still fought a little). Took some pics. Man what a shame!!! I was seriuosly sad. If the C.O. wasn't there, I would have maybe tried to do something but his GLOCK scared me off. Just wanted to let you know about the massacre out here in Eastern PA. It gets worst, the biologist said they claen the ladder every 15 days and everytime they claen it, they average taking out 200lbs of flatheads. will try to post pics

[treddinwater]

That's truely sad. Killing such large fish is a shame. I admit unnatural fish aren't also the best for native species in a waterway, but once a fish gets in there and is able to spawn, they are pretty much there for good and you gotta learn to live with it.

[jeffmcfish]

what a shame please post pic's if you can

[delawareriver]

i know i will turn some heads with this post but i truly rather just take a trip out west or south and catch flatts where they belong. i rather not have them in the eastern rivers. these fish could take out species of fish such as the american and hickory shad, trout, smallmouth and walleye easily out of the upper delaware river. i dont know if its just me but i would bet the biologist knows alittle bit more then we know. and is working for the best for the enviroment.

its is a shame those large fish are killed but its for the best so i agree with what there doing. everyone is making such a fuss about snakeheads when flattheads grow 5 times as big.

[kspor]

I believe the actions you speak of are illegal under the wanton waste laws. I think this is a federal law and applies to anyone. I found this under your states website for wanton waste

contact the PFBC’s Southcentral Region Bureau of Law Enforcement at 717-486-7087 or e-mail Regional Law Enforcement Manager Donald Lauver at dolauver@state.pa.us.

If they blow you off then call the news stations or, man I hate to say this, a tree hugger group. These fish if killed could be used to feed hungry or for research. Just destroying them is unethical and immoral.

I would also file a complaint with the Federal Dept of Fish and Game and your local county attourney. I am sure a fishing judge will have no mercy with DNR who act wrongly and treat them just like the slobs they arrest.

[MRR]

sounds Like A Good Campain To Get A Petition Started In Your Town Protesting What They Are Doing. Just Don't Sound Right.

[treddinwater]

Kspor makes a good point, if they are going to kill them off, they should use them for something like feeding the poor. Same for the Asian carp in other places, people have said they aren't bad tablefare, so when caught their should be a place you can take them so they can be filleted up and sold on the market. Also, I don't think the flatheads would wipe out the smallie and walleye populations because where I come from, those fish generally inhabit the same waters and coexist fine. But then again, I don't know anything about those shad or trout.

[back channel]

i rather not have them in the eastern rivers. these fish could take out species of fish such as the american and hickory shad, trout, smallmouth and walleye easily out of the upper delaware river.


Yes flatheads can take out other species but so does waste and everything else that gets dumped into the river not only by people, businesses, the CITY its self. I can not see taking these fish out of the rivers when what the people do to the rivers are much worse. There are much better ways to get rid of the fish if need be then by killing them. There can be tournaments to get rid of them and then have the fish donated for food for people or something of that sort. It is truely a sad day in the catfish world.

[nathan king]

maybe you can get an online petition going if you do id like to add my name to it send it to your state rep and all the rest of the channels too i bet we could get a pretty large one together. that is just pure waste of a species and i would definately say its an unethical choice :angry:

[pacathunter]

i will sign anything you can put together...

[catfishjohn]

me too,i'd sign it...

[Pennsylvaniacatchaser]

This is a total disgrace! If they don't want these awesome fish there than why not sell them to a private lake or transplant them to another body of water. Slicing them open and letting them to die is just unbelievable!!!

[teaysvalleyguy]

Rediculous to say the least, something definatly needs to be done.

[delawareriver]

just wondering would you guys feel the same way if they did it to a snakehead or largemouth bass?

maybe the other ways like donating the fish would be better but you gotta remember everything cost money, even if they donate the fish there needs to be transportation and cleaning of the fish.

you said that these fish arnt nearly as bad as pollution and other things do to the the rivers, in that sense there would be a lot of things that would be OK just because there are a few worse things that happen? its OK to rape a girl because its not as bad as murdering a girl? its OK steal because you arnt harming them physically. if there are worse things out there maybe you should contact them on those issues.

by killing these fish there returning nutrients back to the water. also helping other species of fish survive without the predator. one of which is the hickory shad which is a threatened species which uses the Delaware to spawn. these 2-3# fish normally only need to get by the striped bass that are native and a few muskies that rarely inhabit that part of the river with all the other fish in the river not large enough to eat them. Flatheads will become the largest predator in the ecosystem and only bad things can come of that.

all together this whole thing is a bad situation and i truly believe the biologist know a little more then we do. just my opinion

[slimepig]

ok, so there are actually people that would rather have a river full of shad than catfish? I remember stories my dad told me years ago of people somewhere in maryland catching flatheads and just throwin them up on the bank. they cosidered them trash fish, and were wanting to catch shad instead. makes no sense to me!

[delawareriver]

well its like saying why not kill all the deer because we have cows instead? (yes i know venacine taste alot better but you get the point.) but yes on the delaware river (the capotal of shad fishing) most people would much rather catch shad. pick up the last magazine of field and stream and read the section on the shad king. (photos were taken less then a mile away from where i launch my boat and i fish the areas they talk about.)

i also rather catch the trout that inhabit the upper delaware then flatheads. flatheads would be fun to catch so close to home but theres a place for them. thats why there native in some locations. one day proably all the rivers and lakes will have the same 5 or 6 fish that can adapt the best because they will push out all the native species. flatheads would most likely be one of those species. i rather travel and catch many kinds of fish then just introduce the so called best fish (catfish, bass, panfish) into every water system across america.

[Blacky]

I have caught my share of flatheads and even snakeheads. I released everyone of them!!!! Why??? I do not believe in killing something just because they do not belong. It's not thier fault they are there. They are just trying to live like you and me. Respect all species.

[steve-o]

I have caught my share of flatheads and even snakeheads. I released everyone of them!!!! Why??? I do not believe in killing something just because they do not belong. It's not thier fault they are there. They are just trying to live like you and me. Respect all species.

do you kill bugs and mice in your house? better yet, if you had cockroaches would you kill them?

[RamRod]

Did you get pics of them in the act of doing it? If so, that's what the media wants to see!

[delawareriver]

ramrod i dont think that could work because they are honestly doing the right thing and the habits of the Flatheads will be exaggerated like snake heads. they will say its a non native species that is killing native species. then they will say stuff like people have drowned when large Flatheads have bitten arms and legs (not mentioning that the people were noddling) they make out Flatheads to be this crazy fish thats out to eat everything in site and if you been fishing for them you know thats not true in fact a lot of times there picky so i dont think the media will work to great.

i dont wanna start an argument but its a non native species that doesn't belong and i dont see a problem killing them if its gonna protect the ecosystem.

[pacathunter]

i say they should use other methods to remove the fish---it just aint right to kill them and i hope that something gets done about this---i am willing to help in anyway possible. i am in eastern pa so hit me up and i will help !!!!!

[delawareriver]

thats a good way to think

[JMarrs328]

Ya know, I have to agree that since they are a non-native fish, they shouldn't be in the river, but they shouldn't just kill them and throw them back, even though that does return nutrients back to the enviroment. It won't return a lot back to the enviroment because even though they eat a lot, they burn off a lot of energy through swimming. They should atleast try to donated the fish to a food bank, or send them to be ground up into fertilizer, or something. I recently read an article in the newspaper about the pikeminnow, I know i hadn't heard of it either, in the Columbia River in Oregan State. They found the pikeminnow to be the number one predator of baby salmon. As the salmon try to make their way to the Pacific they get stunned going over dams and become very easy prey to the pikeminnow, which can grow in excess to around 30 inches. They fed so heavily on baby salmon throught the Columbia, that the fish/game commision decided to do something about it. They started to offer a bounty on the pikeminnow. Every pikeminnow over 9 inches long that was brought in, the state paid a bounty for, the first 100 of the season that you bring in you earn $4 per fish. From the 101st-400th you earn $5 per fish, and any more than 400 you earn $8 per fish. They also tagged numerous pikeminnow and released them into the Columbia as an incentive. If you catch a tagged pikeminnow, you earn $50. Last year there were an estimated 1,800 anglers that brought in pike minnows during the May-October season. Out of these 1,800 anglers several accumulated a total of $40,000 from the state for there pikeminnow catching expertise. Maybe PA could do something similar to this in the Deleware.

[delawareriver]

wow that sure is a nice way to go fishing and get paid! they do that with snake heads, i know theres a bass pro shops that if you catch a snake head over 9 inch's or something u get a small gift card and then the larger the snake head gets the more the gift card is worth.

[striper]

first of all, if you are worried about the shad, stop all the netters out in the bay. they do more damage than the flathead ever will. second, all the trout you like to catch in the upper delaware are safe. the water is to cold for flatheads to be active enough to catch a trout. the water temp stays about 55-60 deg all summer long, flatheads want about 70-80 deg to be fully active.. stop all the people taking more than their share and you will have more fish. third, those wardens and biologists should have taken those fish to a homeless shelter. there are alot of places that will take all of the fish that the biologists and wardens can give them... all it takes is a cooler and ice.. and i would imagine a fish market would be glad to do it for free. if not there are more than enough groups that help the homeless and needy and would put up the costs for fresh fish... for those complaining about the snakeheads, they grow extremely fast and are very voracious feeders and they pretty much will eat until the die... the flathead is looking for blugills, crappies and eels to feed on.. not shad... and if they do happen to eat a 5lb shad, that will fill them up for quite a while..... i think you all should be looking at a very viable fishery for an excellent game fish...

[kaleigh]

what a waste.Why not give them away for someone to eat.This sounds like such a waste of fish,I am sure somebody would have taken them for a nice meal.

just my opinion

[YeeHaw]

That's just a shame, don't know why.

[Itzakeeper]

put something on here i'll sign it to........

[4wdfisher]

In this litigious society donating the fish is not a good idea. If anyone eating the fish got sick a smart lawyer would point to the consumption warnings and blame the fish commission.

Putting them back in the water feeds crayfish, minnows, water bugs and finally gamefish.

There is a new rule that sets no size limit and no creel limit on flatheads in Eastern PA. Gamefish are defined as fish with creel limits. That classifies them as rough fish in that area and anyone can legally do anything they want. You can keep as many as you want, as small as you want, bowfish, spear them, and drag them from your bumper if you want.

We all know it'simpossible to control nature, but sometimes in small ways something can be done. Anyone that can remember the mine runoff 30 years ago and the state of the Three rivers thanks the F&G guys for helping give us back a fishery close to Pittsburgh and more trout streams than we've ever had.

If they want to kill a few invasive species that's OK by me. Alaska has no limits on pike in areas they're not supposed to be. The pike has decimated the trout and salmon and now that the food fish are gone the pike are stunted. F&G even nets the pike. It's working for them