Dangerous Fish in Houston

Some fish we catch in Houston don't belong here and were transplanted by unknowing or uncaring people. A few years ago someone dumped their fish tank in the bayou's of Houston. The water temp. stays constant in the bayou due to runoff, and sewage treatment plants along the bayou. Because of that non native species can and do live in the waterways all around the city. One species that has taken over is the Hypostomus Plecostomus or Pleco, or armored catfish . 

   Here is an 18 inch pleco. Jim caught by my house
  The dark spots are Pterygoplichthys anisitis,
commonly called "snow king plecostomus,". In a 20 foot stretch of bayou near my house. 
I counted 48 plecos in this shallow water.

They are a sucker mouth catfish from South America and are imported to take care of algae in the aquarium. They do not belong in the local environment and should not be here. They are competition for the native fish and take up valuable space it the water as well as eating the vegetation native species need. Not that they fill the bayou with there bodies,  but a water system can only support so many inches of fish per gallon of water. If too many fish are in the water the fish will dwarf in size or keep other species from developing to full size. Pleco's also dig and cause erosion in the bayous, uproot plants and suck up eggs of native fish. The erosion can change the shore line, silt up the waterways and the silt will suffocate small plants and fish eggs. They can also handle salt so they will end up in tidal bayous and cause similar problems for saltwater fish.
Hopefully we will have a freeze below 30 degrees for several days and that will thin the population some. 

Click the pic. to read what the Houston Chronicle had to say about the pleco in Houston.

There are other species that are not only harmful to the other fish but are dangerous to people. Piranha, freshwater sting rays and electric catfish and eels are 4 species that are illegal to even own in Texas because they could reproduce in our waters. Piranha are not that dangerous to people but to the fish like Bass and sunfish they would be devastating. 

The Fresh water sting ray is the most dangerous fresh water fish in South America. Think how many children that would be hurt playing in a small creek by there home? The sting is similar to a saltwater ray but with the pollution in the bayou it would mean a trip and stay in the hospital to fight off infection. 

Years ago a friend had an electric catfish in his tank, they were not illegal then. While wiping the algae from the glass in his tank he accidentally touched the catfish. As it was a small catfish it discharged about 400 to 500 volts of electricity into him and knocked him across the room. An electric eel can discharge 600 volts. 
 

I don't want to even talk about the parasitic catfish found in South America.

Snake Heads and walking catfish have also been in the news for a few years.

Tilapia or African perch have been sold at groceries around Houston for years. Many farmers have stocked them in their ponds. When flooding happens in Houston the Tilapia move into the bayou and take the place of the native sunfish. Again taking valuable space in the water systems.

These and other non native species can not be allowed to be introduced into out fishing waters.

The Asian Grass carp was put into Lake Conroe to help with the hydrilla (another non native) problem. The last time I fished Lake Conroe their was very little vegetation left in the lake, except for hair algae. With little or no vegetation the small fry fish have no place to hide from predators and grow. Now we need to figure out how to get rid of the carp. They do not eat the hair algae fishermen hate.

While fishing a local pond a bait fisherman caught a 5 pound Paccu ( a relative of the Piranha without the sharp teeth) someone had dumped when it got to big for there tank. Luckily the fisherman had a 100 gallon tank at home and removed it from the pond

This is not just a Texas problem. In Colorado farmers have musky in their ponds that with flooding have moved into the trout rivers and have decimated native trout.

The Great Lakes have had problems with the Lamprey and zebra mussels.

Many times plants have been transplanted from one lake to another because boat owners don't clean their trailer or boat after leaving the lake. They then go to a different lake and transplant some plant to the new lake.

Transplanting fish from one lake to another is also a bad idea. Disease can be brought in with the new fish. The fish in the lake may be more susceptible to the disease the new fish carry.

To sum up. Please don't dump fish from your fish tank in local waters. Clean your boat and trailer between trips to lakes around the state. Report anyone dumping or taking undersize fish to the Game Warden. Be safe and have fun but respect our native fish and habitat.

Mark