Discover the Official State Fish of Missouri (And Where You Might Spot It This Summer)

Assigning specific animals as official symbols help people identify and appreciate their state’s fauna. In addition, it can also bring light to unknown state wildlife. However, some choices for official symbols are obvious, while others might not make much sense. For example, Several states have the European honeybee as their State Insect when this species is not native to the USA. Furthermore, Michigan’s state mammal is a wolverine, but there are now records that wolverines have ever occurred in the Great Lakes State. But Missouri hit the nail on the head when deciding the fish to represent the state. The official Missouri State fish is the channel catfish. This species occurs throughout the state, and some areas have trophy-sized channel catfish.

The Official Missouri State Fish Is the Channel Catfish

The largest channel catfish ever caught in Missouri weighed 34 pounds and 10 ounces. Since their average weight ranges between 3 to 4 pounds, with a length of 12 inches, it’s safe to say Missouri produces trophy-sized channel catfish. However, this state record has never been challenged. The closest anyone had come was in 1974 when a 29-pound 14-ounce channel catfish was caught. So, while Missouri produced several abnormally large specimens, it is better known as the state with an abundant population of small channels. But, there is a better possibility of catching a 10-pounder; while it doesn’t happen often, it is more realistic than anything in the 20-pound range.

The best opportunity to catch some of these trophy-sized channel catfish is by fishing in the lower reaches of tributaries that flow into rivers during the months of May and June. This is when these catfish are actively searching for places to spawn. In addition, there are also above-average channel catfish in Nodaway County Community Lake and Lake Jacomo.

Where Can You Find Channel Catfish in Missouri?

The channel catfish is Missouri’s most widely distributed and abundant catfish species. They occur throughout the state, but especially in north and west Missouri — the Prairie region streams of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Furthermore, they prefer the larger ditches and streams of the Bootheel lowlands. Unfortunately, their numbers are much lower in the central Ozarks. These fish are indigenous to the state, but some populations result from stocking in artificial impoundments.

Channel catfish thrive in various habitats but tend to prefer turbid streams with moderate or low gradients. Juveniles often occur in riffles or shallow areas of pools, while mature adults prefer larger pools around submerged logs, deep water, and various areas with cover. However, adults spend their days undercover around submerged logs, drift piles, or deep water. But, at night, they travel to riffles or the shallows of pools in search of food. It is legal to catch channel catfish in Missouri. But, the daily and possession limit is 10.

Channel Catfish Diet

These catfish are nocturnal and do most of their hunting on riffles or in shallow waters of pools. They use their sensitive barbels to find food by smell, touch, and taste. Channel catfish are omnivores, and their diet consists of:

• Fish
• Insects
• Crayfish
• Mollusks
• Plant material

Their diet is so varied that in the Des Moines River, a study found 50 different insect species in the bellies of channel catfish. In addition, their diets will depend on their size. For example, if they are less than 4 inches long, their diet consists primarily of insects. However, if they are longer than 4 inches, they can feed on larger prey and thus have a more varied diet.

Channel Catfish Lifecycle

The spawning season of the channel catfish in Missouri is usually the last week of May. This is when water temperatures reach around 75 degrees Fahrenheit and will continue to the third week of July. Furthermore, there are typically two peaks of spawning activity during these months. But, before spawning begins, the males select and prepare a nesting site. These can include natural cavities around logs, drift, piles, burrows of muskrats and beavers, or undercut banks. Additionally, channel catfish prefer secluded and dark areas for nest sites. Females have no maternal instincts, as they do not participate in nest selection or caring for the eggs and juveniles.

Eggs are gelatinous masses that females deposit in the bottom of nests. Their eggs look very similar to a large yellow mound of tapioca. It takes around a week for their eggs to hatch, and the fry stays in the nest for seven to eight days. Males are the ones that take on the parental role and guard the fry until they disperse from the nest. Unfortunately, the survival rate of juvenile channel catfish during the first year is much lower in clear ponds compared to murky water. The reason for this is due to predation, as the clear water ponds don’t provide much cover. These catfish only reach sexual maturity at the age of 4 or 5 or when they are between 12 to 15 inches in length. Furthermore, channel catfish have an average lifespan of 6 to 7 years, but some individuals can live more than 10 years.

Missouri’s Official State Aquatic Animal

In 1997, Missouri established the paddlefish as its official state aquatic animal. These fish occupy the slow-flowing waters of the Missouri, Osage, and Mississippi rivers, and they are one of the oldest fish species known to man. They were once abundant in river systems across the central US, but their numbers have declined significantly due to sedimentation, overfishing, and river modification. Furthermore, they are constantly threatened by poachers because their eggs fetch a good price as they are used for freshwater caviar. However, protective measures are in place over a large part of their range to help their numbers.

Where Can You Find Paddlefish in Missouri?

There are large numbers of paddlefish in:

• Harry S. Truman Reservoir
• Lake of the Ozarks
• Table Rock Lake

While fishermen can catch paddlefish in Missouri, they must obtain a permit first unless exempt. In addition, there is a daily limit of two fish and a possession limit of four.

These fish prefer to inhabit open waters in big rivers and swim near the surface. Furthermore, likely, they don’t have a specific home range. Once spring arrives and the waters begin to rise, paddlefish migrate upstream to gravel bars, where they spawn. They require lots of open backwaters, oxbows, and free-flowing rivers to feed on gravel bars and to reproduce. Their numbers decreased significantly after channelization, drainage of bottomlands, and levee construction.

Furthermore, dams prevent paddlefish from migrating upstream toward their spawning territories. As a result, they are unable to spawn. Therefore, artificial propagation is used in areas with dams to maintain this species. In addition, overharvesting and illegal poaching/trafficking has played a huge role in their declining numbers. Another factor that contributes to the decrease in this species is the zebra mussel. For example, in areas with large infestations of zebra mussels, there is a sharp decline in paddlefish numbers because the mussels filter large numbers of plankton out of the water. Plankton that paddlefish would have eaten.

Paddlefish Diet

These fish swim through the water with their mouths wide open to collect tiny insects and crustaceans as they swim. Furthermore, their paddle (rostrum) works as an electrosensory organ, which they use to sense plankton to eat.

Paddlefish Lifecycle

The paddlefish spawns in late spring once the water rises. Females deposit their eggs on solt-free gravel bars. Unfortunately, their eggs are exposed to air or covered by very shallow water during regular water levels, exposing them to predation. Once the eggs hatch, the offspring gets swept downstream to deeper pools. These fish can reach 10 to 14 inches during the first 12 months of their lives but can measure 60 inches as adults. Paddlefish have an average lifespan of 30 years.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Ryan Somma, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons – License / Original