Catfish (a)
Artist: Mary Davey
Fish Profile
Conservation status
There are at least 3,400 different species and between 34 and 44 families of Catfish (new species are still being discovered). This is one of the largest orders of fish. They are freshwater ‘bottom dwellers’ that swim along and close to the bottoms of estuaries, rivers, and lakes.
Some species are critically endangered such as the Mekong Giant Catfish (one of the world’s most endangered species), usually found in the Mekong River basin. Conversely the Walking Catfish, found in Florida, is a highly invasive species. The larger species are most vulnerable because of habitat loss, pollution, hunting, and the building of dams. The loss of these would impact local ecosystems. On the other hand, some species have been introduced into new environments where they thrive and upset native food webs and biodiversity. The IUCN cites 191 Endangered Species and 90 Critically Endangered whilst the vast majority (2,071 species) are listed as Least Concern.