FOOD-HABITS OF CHANNEL CATFISH IN LAKE OAHE, SOUTH-DAKOTA

The channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus is abundant in Lake Oahe, Sout h Dakota, providing a minor sport fishery. Because of it's population size, channel catfish undoubtedly influence the trophic ecology of Oah e Reservoir. However, little research has been conducted on channel ca tfish since the years following dam closure. We studied the food habit s of channel catfish in Lake Oahe during 1991 and 1992. Food habits we re evaluated using the relative importance (RI) index. Channel catfish fed on a variety of prey, but aquatic insects dominated the diet for all sizes of fish sampled. Terrestrial insects, zooplankton, and verte brates (toads and fish) largely comprised the remainder of the diet.