Cattfish

It belongs to the order of Siluriformes.

Common name: Sea Catfishes

Iranian fish | catfish

Biological and fishery characteristics of marine catfish:

  • Sea is often their habitat and they rarely live in freshwater
  • Catfish has 30 genera and 153 species in the world's waters
  • Catfish is distributed in tropical and subtropical regions
  • Catfish has branched tail fin
  • Catfish has a swim bladder
  • Adipose fin
  • Catfish often has three pairs and rarely two pairs of barbels
  • Middle, transverse, or crescent-shaped mouth, upper jaw more or less prominent, and fluffy and cone-shaped teeth on both jaws
  • The body has no scales, but has a lateral line that is relatively curved.
  • Catfish have bony plates on the head and next to the dorsal fin.
  • Catfish has a thorn on both the pectoral (chest) and dorsal fins. Pectoral thorns might sting.
  • Many species of catfish can enter freshwater
  • Most male catfish keep eggs in their mouths until they hatch.
  • Inhabits deep soil floors up to 50 meters, but rarely at deeper floors.
  • Catfish has edible and customer-friendly meat. Catfish Is consumed in countries where there are no religious restrictions.
  • Catching catfish is done using bottomtrawl, bag net, bottom gillnet, fish trap, a seine net and hook
  • Catfish can grow to more than 100 cm in length

Distribution in Iran: There are 3.6 times more catfish in the Persian Gulf than the sea of Oman.

Catfish species in Iranian waters

:

  1. Spotted Raphael Catfish
  • Scientific name: Arius maculates
  • Persian and local name in Iran: Spotted catfish
  • English name: Spotted catfish
  • Arabic name in Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and other countries: Abu Sheneb
  • Spotted catfish reportedly lives in Iranian waters and other countries such as Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, East Timor, Vietnam, and Yemen.
  • Habitat of the spotted catfish: spotted catfish lives in deep-sea floors offreshwater and saltwater.Catfish is a deep-sea fish and lives ata depth of 50 to 100 meters in freshwater.Catfish lives in tropical areas.Adult spotted catfish are found in waters near the coast and estuaries.

 

Appearance, behavior, and physiological characteristics of spotted catfish:

  • Size: The maximum total length is 80 cm and the average length is 30 cm.In a research done by Iranian,the largest spotted catfish was 48 cm long and the heaviest one was 1820 grams.Most spotted catfish is 19-22 cm long.
  • Food Source: They eat invertebrates and small fish. Other sources of food for spotted catfish include fish eggs, crabs, oysters, and shrimp.
  • Reproduction of spotted catfish: An adult catfish is 38 cm long.Male catfish hold the fertilized eggs in his mouth until they hatch.
  • Catching spotted catfish: is usually done by trawl, bottom gillnet, bag nets, and local fish traps set up by countries. It is also reportedly done by trawl and seine net in Mushta in Iran.
  • Economicvalue of spotted catfish: spotted catfish is of commercial importance.Spotted catfish are supplied fresh in countries where people eat this type of fish. A substance known as Isinglass is made from the dried swim bladder of catfish which is used in the wine industry.

 

  1. Bronze Catfish

  • Scientific Name: Netumabilineata
  • Persian and local name in Iran: Bronze catfish, snub-nosed catfish
  • English Name: Bronze Catfish
  • Arabic name in Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and other countries: Sham or Cham
  • Bronze catfish reportedly lives in Iranian waters, Asia and also Bahrain, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UAE, Vietnam, Yemen Oceania: Australia, Papua, New Guinea
  • Habitat of the bronze catfish: bronze catfish live in soil floors of the sea, in freshwater and saltwater, tropical areas, coastal waters, and from the estuaries to the continental shelf.

Appearance, behavior, and physiological characteristics of bronze catfish

:

  • The spine of bronze catfish has 53-58 vertebrae
  • Bronze catfish has a long body
  • Tail is shaped like a tape
  • It has a small dorsal adipose fin
  • Size: The maximum standard length is 62 cm
  • Food Source: Bronze catfish is carnivorous and opportunistic. Bronze catfish eat seaweed, crustaceans, fish, shrimp, scales, and pyroclastic materials.
  • Reproduction of big bronze catfish: ….. external fertilization. Male catfish hold the fertilized eggs in his mouth until they hatch.
  • Catching bronze catfish: Bottom trawl, long sport fishing hooks, bottom gillnet, fish traps, and long hook strings.
  • Economical Value of bronze catfish: bronze catfish is of low commercial value. Bronze catfishare also used for sport fishing. People in Shiite areas In Iran don't eat bronze catfish because of religious reasons.

 

  1. Giant Catfish

  • Scientific Name: Netumathalassina
  • Persian and local name in Iran: Giant Catfish
  • English Name: Giant Catfish
  • Arabic name in Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and other countries: Khen, Ken, Jem
  • Giant catfish reportedly lives in Iranian waters and also in Kuwait, Oman, Australia, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Yemen, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, etc.
  • Habitat of the giant catfish: Giant catfish live at depth of 10 to 195 meters in freshwater and saltwater and tropical areas. Giant catfish are mostly present at 26 to 29 °C.Giant fish is a deep-sea fish found in soft, hard, and rocky seabed with sea and coral grasses. It is a marine species, but is often seen in estuaries and rarely enters freshwater.

Appearance, behavior, and physiological characteristics of giant catfish:

 

  • Giant catfish has a long body.
  • The snout is sharp in males and the lower jaw is shorter than the upper jaw and round in females.
  • Male giant catfish ranges from dark brown (red) to bluish-gray in the back with dense pigments on the abdomen. The female catfish range from gray to darker in color.
  • Size: The maximum standard length is 185 cm and is usually 70 cm
  • Weight: The heaviest giant catfish has been 1 kg.
  • Longevity: The oldest giant catfish was reportedly found in California, USA which was 29 years old, although some sources say 16 is more accurate.
  • Food Source: Giant catfish mostly eat shrimps, crabs, and also echinoderms such as sea cucumbers, but they also eat fish and Mollusca.
  • Reproduction of the giant catfish: adult giant catfish is 36 cm……… External fertilization. The eggs are fertilized in the mouth.
  • Catching giant catfish: Bottom trawl, sport fishing with hook, gillnets, fish trap, and long hook strings.
  • Economic values of giant catfish: giant catfish is of important value in the world and widely eaten. It is often sold fresh and sometimes dried. Giant catfish are also caught for sport fishing. People in Shiite areas In Iran don't eat giant catfish because of religious reasons.