Voracious giant catfish rampage across the western U.S.

One of the main reasons for the widespread spread of catfish is the high fecundity of some females, which are capable of laying significant numbers of eggs. The males guard the eggs, which hatch after a week, and then, reaching a length of 10 cm, the young catfish begin to feed on fish.

As they increase in size and appetite, they can cause damage to local ecosystems for around 30 years. Therefore, wildlife conservationists urge fishermen to report catfish caught and not release them to reduce the population. In addition, if caught in a clean body of water, catfish are perfectly edible.