Fisheries Research Fact Sheet
Assessment of Catfish Populations in
the Pungo River, Newport River and
Great Lake, 2019 October 2019
North Carolina is home to a diversity of catfish species,
including several native catfish species popular with anglers
such as White Catfish, Brown Bullhead, Flat Bullhead, and
Yellow Bullhead. These species play vital ecological roles as
predators, host fish, and prey in aquatic ecosystems. How¬
ever, abundances of these species have decreased drastically
as significant increases in the numbers of nonnative Flat-
head Catfish, Blue Catfish, and Channel Catfish have been
observed in the larger river systems of North Carolina.
Fortunately, some smaller coastal river systems have not
been subjected to introductions of nonnative, invasive cat¬
fish species. These rivers are unique because they are some
of the few rivers within our state having catfish populations
composed entirely of native catfish species. This is note¬
worthy, as invasive catfish species in coastal North Carolina
are widespread and threaten the conservation of native and
migratory fish populations through predation and compe¬
tition. Conservation of native catfish and protection within
the few systems where native catfish populations persist is
important to the heritage of North Carolina and critical to
maintaining aquatic biodiversity.
In North Carolina, catfish are not classified as game fish,
and may be taken using hook and line, grabbling, trotlines,
set-hooks, jug-hooks, and a variety of county-specific spe¬
cial devices. Additionally, in coastal North Carolina there
are no length limits for catfish, and the daily creel limit is
200 in aggregate with other nongame fish. Conservation ef¬
forts are essential because native catfish are a rapidly dwin¬
dling resource in North Carolina that is not easily restored
once compromised.
In 2019, NCWRC biologists sampled catfish in the
Pungo River, Newport River, and Great Lake with electro¬
fishing techniques to update population information on
native and invasive catfish species.
Objectives:
• Document the status of catfish populations
in the Pungo River, Newport River and Great
Lake.
• Confirm the absence of invasive catfish species.
• Evaluate the need for regulation proposals.
Methods:
• 1 1 sites on the Pungo River, 5 sites on the
Newport River and 8 sites in Great Lake
were sampled for catfish in 2019. (Figure 1)
• High pulse (120 pulses per second, pps) and
low pulse (15 pulses per second) electrofish¬
ing methods were employed.
• Once fish were collected and identified,
length and weight were recorded.
• Catch per unit effort (CPUE) as defined
as number of fish per hour (fish/h) was
calculated.
Figure 1 —Distribution of high and low pulse sample sites in the Pungo River, Newport
River and Great Lake, NC in 2019.
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Inland Fisheries Division
www.ncwildlife.org J v'AC)'?.