Everyone knew they were reproducing,………..

[Mark B.]

More evidence: A 5.5” flathead captured in the Del. R. just north of Philly during recent NJ Bureau of Marine Fisheries young of the year striped bass seining.

[Bicey]

Yep.......guy just caught a snakehead at the Lambertville wing dam too.

[MudCat08]

Since NJ considers these invasive, do we really have to take them if we catch any? I don't think I'd want to eat a catfish out of the Delaware in our state even though i wouldn't mind trying a flathead for dinner. It sounds too polluted..

[acabtp]

Originally Posted by MudCat08

Since NJ considers these invasive, do we really have to take them if we catch any?

yes you must kill them. it is illegal to return them alive to the water.

Originally Posted by NJ Freshwater Digest p17

Potentially Dangerous Fish
The possession or release of live, potentially dangerous fish is prohibited. These species include Asian swamp eel, bighead, grass (diploid) and silver carp, brook stickleback, green sunfish, flathead catfish, oriental weatherfish, snakehead and warmouth. Anglers MUST destroy these species if encountered while fishing and are directed to submit specimen(s) or photos to a Fish and Wildlife Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries biologist for verification. To reach a biologist, call (908) 236-2118 for north Jersey or (856) 629-4950 for south Jersey. These nonnative species are likely to cause environmental harm to the state’s fisheries resources by outcompeting preferred game fish species.

if the biologists are already aware of the issue (like flatheads in the big D or green sunfish in the rockaway river watershed) and you don't really want to take it home, at least toss them up in the woods far enough that they can't get back in to the water and a raccoon or fox will eat them.

Originally Posted by MudCat08

I don't think I'd want to eat a catfish out of the Delaware in our state even though i wouldn't mind trying a flathead for dinner. It sounds too polluted..

your state tax dollars are paying for research and monitoring of potential toxins in freshwater fish. use the resource at http://www.nj.gov/dep/dsr/njmainfish.htm
the delaware is plenty fine to take fish from, eat those flatheads up

[flatcreek]

As I read these consumption warnings I see I can safely have 1 striper a month 2 trout 1 bass and so on, would this mean if I ate differant species I could eat fish everyday or if I only ate one species I could eat it everyday?

[acabtp]

Originally Posted by flatcreek

As I read these consumption warnings I see I can safely have 1 striper a month 2 trout 1 bass and so on, would this mean if I ate differant species I could eat fish everyday or if I only ate one species I could eat it everyday?

You can't overlap the advisories. So if you eat that striper, you shouldn't eat any other fish (even tuna) for a month. But sunfish with no restructions, you could eat every day.

The bigger the fish and the more other fish it eats, the worse it is for contamination. Big piscivorious species like stripers are really bad for people to eat.