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BRCA Blue Catfish Final Report

Blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) are native to the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, and support extremely important fisheries on these big rivers. The Missouri River supports a recreational fishery, and the Mississippi River supports both recreational and commercial fisheries. Missouri’s big river, blue catfish populations have not been intensively researched or managed in the past, and information needed to inform management and regulatory decisions is lacking. Blue catfish were sampled in the Mississippi and Missouri rivers using low-frequency electrofishing, and these data, along with tag return information, were used to estimate exploitation and other population demographics (e.g., size structure, age and growth, and total annual mortality). Management and regulatory recommendations focus on increasing yield available to fishers and ensuring sustainability of big river, blue catfish populations. During 2015 and 2016, a total of 6,639 blue catfish ranging in size from 3-53 inches (76-1,348 mm) total length (TL) were collected from eight study sites. Pectoral spines were aged from 1,874 blue catf