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Feeding Ecology and Distribution of an Invasive Apex Predator: Flathead Catfish in Subestuaries of the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia

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dc.contributor.authorSchmitt, Joseph D.en
dc.contributor.authorEmmel, Jason A.en
dc.contributor.authorBunch, Aaron J.en
dc.contributor.authorHilling, Corbin D.en
dc.contributor.authorOrth, Donald J.en
dc.contributor.departmentFish and Wildlife Conservationen
dc.coverage.countryUnited Statesen
dc.coverage.stateVirginiaen
dc.date.accessioned2020-06-26T19:41:04Zen
dc.date.available2020-06-26T19:41:04Zen
dc.date.issued2019-04en
dc.description.abstractNative to the central United States, Flathead Catfish Pylodictus olivaris have invaded Atlantic coast rivers from Florida to Pennsylvania. They are now invasive in several subestuaries of the Chesapeake Bay, yet contemporary accounts of their distribution do not exist. Due to their piscivorous nature, Flathead Catfish could have deleterious impacts on native ichthyofauna, yet their feeding ecology has not been well described in these systems. We used a large-scale, stratified random sampling effort to describe the current distribution and feeding ecology of Flathead Catfish in Virginia tidal rivers. Low-frequency electrofishing was conducted at more than 1,500 sites in the James, Pamunkey, Mattaponi, and Rappahannock rivers in eastern Virginia, resulting in 766 Flathead Catfish being captured in the James, Pamunkey, and Mattaponi rivers. Flathead Catfish are abundant in the tidal James River from Richmond, Virginia, to the confluence of the Chickahominy River. A relatively new but established population was also observed in the Pamunkey River, where the highest observed densities of Flathead Catfish occurred near Williams Landing (37 degrees 36 ' 21.49 '' N, 77 degrees 5 ' 33.42 '' W) in New Kent County, Virginia. Stomachs collected from 731 Flathead Catfish revealed that they are piscivores that feed heavily on Gizzard Shad Dorosoma cepedianum, White Perch Morone americana, and various Alosa species. Analysis of trophic level, diet breadth, and feeding strategy demonstrated that Flathead Catfish are piscine specialists that occupy trophic positions indicative of an apex predator. Our results show that Flathead Catfish could have substantial per capita impacts on at-risk native species including American Shad Alosa sapidissima, Blueback Herring A. aestivalis, and Alewife A. pseudoharengus as they make seasonal migrations in and out of these river systems. Moreover, future range expansion of Flathead Catfish into the Rappahannock River is plausible, as established populations now exist in adjacent tributaries.en
dc.description.adminPublic domain – authored by a U.S. government employeeen
dc.description.notesWe thank Zach Moran, Michael Moore, Hunter Hatcher, Skyler Wolf, Hae Kim, Haena Lee, Allison Mosely, and John Woodward for their assistance in the field and the lab. We thank Brandon Peoples and Leandro Castello for their guidance and assistance for the duration of our catfish research. We thank the anonymous reviewers who made this a much better manuscript. All animals were handled following approved protocol of the Virginia Tech Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (protocol 13-196). Eric Hallerman selflessly assisted us and allowed us to use his lab. Data collection and analyses were supported by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries through a Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. D.J.O. was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture Program and Virginia Tech University. J.D.S. was supported through a fellowship from Virginia Sea Grant. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. There is no conflict of interest declared in this article.en
dc.description.sponsorshipVirginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries through a Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture Program; Virginia Tech University; Virginia Sea Granten
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10279en
dc.identifier.eissn1548-8675en
dc.identifier.issn0275-5947en
dc.identifier.issue2en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/99153en
dc.identifier.volume39en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rightsCreative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedicationen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/en
dc.titleFeeding Ecology and Distribution of an Invasive Apex Predator: Flathead Catfish in Subestuaries of the Chesapeake Bay, Virginiaen
dc.title.serialNorth American Journal of Fisheries Managementen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
dc.type.dcmitypeStillImageen

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