Monster Catfish Taking Over German Rivers

The enormous wels catfish is rapidly expanding in German waters. The fish can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh over 300 pounds, making recreational fishermen excited about the prospects of catching one. While biologists aren't yet calling the fish pests, they are puzzled by the boom.

The opinions of fishermen on the wels are diverse. Many are excited about the growing population and are upgrading their equipment -- in order to catch the wels catfish, you need an extremely heavy fishing rod and large pieces of bait. But many traditional fishermen hate the wels. As soon as it appears on the scene, populations of native species seem to drop.

LINK (via: Speigal Online)

The wels catfish lives on annelid worms, gastropods, insects, crustaceans, and fish including other catfishes; the larger ones also eat frogs, mice, rats, and aquatic birds such as ducks.

Recently, it has been observed to lunge out of the water to grab pigeons on land.

Mystery compound found to kill coho salmon

Stormwater runoff from highways appears to contain one or more unidentified compounds shown to be highly toxic to coho salmon and perhaps other salmon as well.

The problem has been studied only a few years. Now, experiments at Grover's Creek Hatchery in North Kitsap have confirmed that polluted stormwater has the ability to kill adult coho before they can spawn.

LINK (via: The Kitsap Sun)

New method to weigh tarpon

The new Ault-Luo ellipsoid formula allows anglers to use a simple measuring tape to get the fish’s fork length and dorsal girth (an all-around measurement of the fish’s body starting just below the dorsal fin), then view a spread sheet or Tarpon Master version 1.0 app on an iPhone to instantly find its weight.

The mathematical calculation that resulted in the model is a bit too long and complicated for the layman.

LINK (via: The Miami Herald)

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/20/3190901/new-method-to-weigh-tarpon-less.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/20/3190901/new-method-to-weigh-tarpon-less.html#storylink=cpy

Hoping 'to turn the tide' on Atlantic salmon

Biologists are optimistic that an improved hydraulic egg-planting method will yield more adult fish.

LINK (via: The Maine Sunday Telegram)

Feds propose critical habitat

Federal fisheries managers are proposing to designate critical habitat for two threatened species of fish.

NOAA Fisheries says it wants to designate about 2,288 miles of freshwater and estuarine habitat in Washington and Oregon for lower Columbia River coho salmon. The agency is also proposing about 1,880 miles of critical habitat in Puget Sound for Puget Sound steelhead.

Lower Columbia River coho was listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act in 2005, while Puget Sound steelhead was listed in 2007.

LINK (via: Oregon Live)

"It was clear that the pike had bitten off more than it could chew"

British angling expert Charles Jardine said the event was "really unusual".

"What on Earth possessed the pike to take on prey that size?" he asked. "Gluttony just killed that fish."

LINK (via: BBC News)