Strange looking catfish? name?

[kntrygrl4lyfe]

aw, I couldnt kill it. It would of "slipped" out of my hands and into the water

 

[Red Devil]

aw, I couldnt kill it. It would of "slipped" out of my hands and into the water

me either...

 

[basslover34]

They are not illegal to hook and reel in. They are Illegal to transport alive. You can not be fined for something you can not control. If we could control which fish hits the hook we would all have the fish we wanted the first time instead of casting and reeling for hours. They would rather you catch them and kill them rather than release it back into the water to do more damage.

But if you want to get technical... reeling it in... would be "transporting it"

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

my lfs has 6 piebald clarius ats at the moment
but aren't they illegal in the us

Several stores are selling them in my area too.

 

[N-E Cichlids]

I was fishing in the glades with my friend when a park ranger stopped to watch us. He asked what we had caught, and we showed a few bluegill. He hung around a few more minutes when my friend snagged a clarias. As soon as it came to the surface, the park ranger threatened us with a fine. We were able to talk ourselves out of it by killing the clarias on the spot. He then said we should watch out, cause we can get fined just for pulling one out of the water. I am not arguing with you Nick, but it was just my experience. In retrospect, you are most probably right.

No Biggie Bro.

That may of been a rule at the Park, but he is full of ****. I would of told him to get the paperwork out and show me where to sign. Think of it this way. States have their own laws and then the Feds have theirs. In Maryland the law says you can have Dwarf Snakeheads, but the Lacey Act bans them in the US. In your case the Park would be the "State" and FWC are the "Feds" The Feds want you to kill them if you catch them. Not to mention I am not cutting my line and losing a Lure. Some of those things are expensive.

Here is the FWC law:

WALKING CATFISH

(Clarias batrachus)


Common Names - Walking Catfish


DESCRIPTION – Elongated, gray, and scaleless catfish-type body with a large mouth, sharp pectoral spines, and four pairs of barbels; light to dark gray in color, but albinos occur; noted for ability to breath air and make short overland movements by pulling themselves along with their pectoral fins much like an infantry-man scooting under barbed wire; early accounts that this fish would eliminate native fishes were erroneous, and it has not had major detrimental effects; species occasionally abundant and still considered undesirable.

RANGE – Most commonly encountered in Everglades and associated canals, but also occurs throughout central and south Florida; first reported in 1967 in Broward County and later in Hillsborough County, now these two populations have joined; abundance has decreased since 1970. Native range southeast Asia.

HABITAT - Prefers shallow and highly vegetated water bodies; sometimes abundant in small deeper ponds without normal complement of native fishes. They sometimes dominate small Everglades pools during the dry season, but not necessarily to the exclusion of native fishes. They are much less abundant in large lakes and canals, and then usually only found in shallow vegetated areas; can live and even thrive in water with little to no oxygen since can breathe air; well-adapted to transient water bodies with muddy bottoms that partially dry up seasonally; occasionally found in road storm drainage systems from which they emerge during flooding events; habitat preferences tend to segregate this fish thereby reducing its overall effect on native species.

SPAWNING HABITS – Little known, but reports from India indicate spawn early in rainy season when build nests in submerged vegetation; adhesive eggs laid on vegetation, and guarded by male.

FEEDING HABITS – Opportunistic consuming a wide variety of food items including small fishes, aquatic insects, plant material, and detritus; also scavenges on dead fish, et al.

AGE AND GROWTH - Fairly rapid with sizes up to about 12 inches; maximum size about 20 inches and three pounds.

Potential Concerns - further range expansion and competition with native species. They are a restricted species so possession and transportation of live walking catfish is illegal without special state and federal permits. They can only be possessed dead, so anglers who want to try eating them should immediately put them on ice.

 

[aeri]

mine lodges itself between my powerhead and the glass and never moves

 

[Red Devil]

mine lodges itself between my powerhead and the glass and never moves

thats his resting place..snoozing when he is not cruisin... he must be getting his exercise at night. maybe walking around a bit

 

[SimonL]

I feel honoured we can have them in Canada lol. We've gotten in some of the African walking cat species at work. Some of them get quite large, in excess of four feet and over 50lbs (Bathyclarias gigas).

 

[Red Devil]

I feel honoured we can have them in Canada lol. We've gotten in some of the African walking cat species at work. Some of them get quite large, in excess of four feet and over 50lbs (Bathyclarias gigas).

wow do they look any different ? I cannot amagine 4feet ...I don't blame you for feeling honored and very lucky..

 

[D3V1Ls]

I had two of em . MY very first fish. But sadly they both met a very sad end. my two TIGER SNAKES RIPPED EM TO SHREDS:'(

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1060655#post1060655