Posted: August 1, 2025
Invasive flathead catfish impacts Susquehanna's food chain
Study first author Sydney Stark, who graduated with a master's degree in wildlife and fisheries science, hefts a Susquehanna flathead catfish. Photo: Penn State
First detected in Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River in 2002, the invasive flathead catfish has now spread throughout the river basin. The large predator's impact on waterway food webs was unknown, but now a research team is beginning to understand what Susquehanna flatheads eat and how their presence affects native aquatic species.
The team's findings, which state fisheries managers can use to manage the waterway, were published in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. The researchers reported that flatheads are opportunistic feeders that prey on dozens of aquatic species.
"We are only now coming to grips with the effect these aquatic invaders are having on river ecosystems," said research team leader Julian Avery, associate research professor of wildlife ecology and conservation in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
—Jeff Mulhollem
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