Survey of parasites in Ictalurus punctatus (Channel Catfish) of the Savannah River Basin at Little River in McCormick, South Carolina

PRESENTED AT THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MICROBIOLOGISTS ANNUAL CONFERENCE, SPRING 2024

Sav Cade

The Savannah River Basin along the border of Georgia and South Carolina is home to many freshwater fish species, including Ictalurus punctatus, or Channel Catfish. This species is well known for its commercial value as well as being a popular recreational fishing catch. Because of its relevance to aquaculture, there has been a significant amount of research into the pathogens of Channel Catfish (Browser and Evans 1983) and many species of parasites have been reported (Hoffman 1999). However, this is the first study to examine the parasites of Channel Catfish within the Southeastern United States. This research project studied the parasite distribution in a sample of 27 catfish caught in this important waterway.