Catfish are plenty of good enough fish for anyone.
— Mark Twain
The catfish family includes a dozen species in Ohio waters, and some of them are among our most popular fish. Their ranks include blue, channel and flathead catfish, and three species of bullhead.
Fishermen know this species well, and many people enjoy eating it. A lunker catfish can eat a lot of meat. Blues and flatheads can exceed 100 pounds in weight, and the world-record blue catfish weighed 130 pounds! Unfortunately, in Ohio, blue cats are mostly found in the Ohio River, and mainly between Cincinnati and Portsmouth. The Division of Wildlife stocks them in several lakes, including Hoover Reservoir.
Less well known is the other half of Ohio’s catfish family: the madtoms. Although usually out of sight and thought, these little catfish have made the news recently. On Oct. 16, 2023, the US Fish & Wildlife Service declared the Scioto madtom extinct. In scientific terms, the small fish is known as Noturus trautmani. The epithet honors the legendary Ohio ichthyologist and naturalist Milton Trautman, who discovered the species in Big Darby Creek in 1943. A total of 18 specimens were collected in a short section of the Darby in Pickaway County between 1943 and 1957. despite many searches, no one has found a Scioto madtom since then.
Fortunately, five other madtom species flow through our waters, although two are quite rare. The northern madtom is listed as endangered by the Ohio Division of Wildlife, and the mountain madtom is considered threatened. Both species are known to exist in only a few stream systems and these species are highly susceptible to water quality degradation.
Three other species remain common, at least locally. The best known of this mysterious group of mostly nocturnal fish is the stonecat madtom. Although usually 6 to 8 inches long, a large stonecat can tape over a foot. Stonecats also commonly occur in the islands region of western Lake Erie. While the third most common of our dozen catfish, stonecats are susceptible to water pollution and have been declining dramatically in some streams since the early 1900s. Improvements in water quality have allowed them to recover somewhat.
Also common, among many streams in central Ohio, is the brindled madtom (pictured in this column). A handsome little catfish that usually reaches about 4 inches in length, brindled madtoms, like their brethren, are nocturnal. They hide under rocks during the day, and emerge to hunt a variety of invertebrate prey after dark.
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Perhaps the least known madman is the tadpole madtom. A true elfin, the little fish measures but 2 to 3 inches long. Further compounding the difficulty of finding one is its tendency to hide in thick leafy debris. It is possible that, as the Scioto madtom probably did, tadpole madtoms also took refuge in crayfish burrows. Very few people, fishermen or otherwise, have come across this hidden little fish. The wide diversity in the catfish family is illustrated by these small species. It would take nearly 3,000 tadpole madtoms to equal the weight of the largest blue catfish!
A fascinating yet painful part of poison ivy involves venom. That’s right, poisonous catfish. The pectoral fins feature long stiff spines connected to basal venom glands. A careless or unaware handler is likely to be jabbed, as caught fish tend to twist their bodies rather violently from side to side. The “sting” is likened to a wasp sting, and can last several minutes.
Although I have handled several madtoms of several species, I have never been envenomed and cannot speak to the effect itself. However, while on an excursion to the Scioto River with Ohio Department of Natural Resources zoologist Dan Rice and Ohio State University ichthyologist Ted Cavender, Ted was stung by a crazed maniac. Dan and I watched Ted’s reaction with interest and it certainly looked painful, as Ted tried to keep his cool.
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For the ultimate resource on the fishes of Ohio, pick up a copy of A Naturalist’s Guide to the Fishes of Ohio (Rice and Zimmerman (2019, Ohio Biological Survey). For an up-close look at an Ohio stream, visit the incredible 60-foot-long “living stream” aquarium at Battelle Darby Metro Park’s nature center.
Naturalist Jim McCormac writes a column for The Dispatch on the first, third and fifth Sundays of the month. He also writes about nature at www.jimmccormac.blogspot.com.
