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What the sources say

Channel CatfishIctalurus punctatus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Channel Catfish profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 35 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013

Ictalurus punctatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T202680A18236665.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: stats.conservationStatus; assessed 2012 (FishBase gives 20 February 2012)

Source
02

Florida Museum of Natural History, Discover Fishes

Channel Catfish. Florida Museum of Natural History, Discover Fishes.

The page saystaste buds all over its body to find food in murky water
The source saysspecialized taste buds all over their bodies, to help them find food in low visibility waterNote: tagline, part 2
The page saysRivers, reservoirs, streams, backwaters, swamps and oxbow lakes
The source saysinhabit rivers, reservoirs, streams, backwaters, swamps, and oxbow lakesNote: stats.habitat
The page saysSmall fish, crayfish, mollusks and insect larvae, plus a little aquatic vegetation
The source saysAdults feed on small fish, aquatic invertebrates, including crayfish, mollusks, insect larvae, and occasional aquatic vegetation.Note: stats.diet
The page saysit has eight, with four on the chin, two on the snout and one at each corner of the mouth
The source saysFour whiskers are on the chin, two on the snout, and one on both corners of the mouth.
The page saysEight sensory barbels: a set of four under the chin, a pair on the snout and one at each corner of the mouth.
The source saysThey have eight sensory barbels, orNote: faq 1; the quote is cut at the curly quote mark
The page saysThe taste buds help it find food in water where it can barely see
The source saysspecialized taste buds all over their bodies, to help them find food in low visibility water
The page saysadults usually forage on the bottom, finding meals by touch and smell
The source saysAdult channel catfish usually feed on the bottom, detecting food by touch and smell.
The page saysIts eyes are large for a catfish, and it can hunt by sight to a degree.
The source saysThe eyes of the channel catfish are proportionately larger than those of other species of catfish and are adapted to sight feeding to a degree.
The page saysAn adult channel catfish is usually 15 to 24 inches (0.4 to 0.6 m) long.
The source saysAdults are generally found between 15 and 24 inches (0.4-0.6 m) in length
The page saysGrown fish generally measure 15 to 24 inches (0.4 to 0.6 m).
The source saysAdults are generally found between 15 and 24 inches (0.4-0.6 m) in lengthNote: faq 2
The page saysThe longest reported reached 52 inches (1.32 m) in total length.
The source sayswith the maximum reported total length of 52 inches (1.32 m)Note: body
The page saysThe Florida Museum gives 22 years as the likely maximum age, though it is rare to find one older than 15.
The source saysThe maximum age is believed to be 22 years, however it is rare to find individuals over 15 years of age.Note: FishBase says 24 (max reported age); the two disagree, so only the Florida Museum figure is given; sources disagree (Smithsonian NZP ~15, FishBase 24 max reported, ADW 2004 wild 14 average), so the figure is attributed to the Florida Museum alone
The page saysProbably no more than 22 years, says the Florida Museum, and few are found past 15.
The source saysThe maximum age is believed to be 22 years, however it is rare to find individuals over 15 years of age.Note: faq 4; sources disagree (Smithsonian NZP ~15, FishBase 24 max reported, ADW 2004 wild 14 average), so the figure is attributed to the Florida Museum alone
The page saysIt prefers warm water averaging 70°F (21.1°C) and turns up in rivers, reservoirs, swamps and even the upper parts of estuaries, in brackish water as salty as 19 to 21 parts per thousand.
The source saysChannel catfish prefer warm water averaging 70°F (21.1°C) and inhabit rivers, reservoirs, streams, backwaters, swamps, and oxbow lakes. The catfish can even be found in the upper sections of estuaries having salinity as high as 19.0 to 21.0 pptNote: 'slightly salty' reads the 19-21 ppt figure; salinity is stated, wording is mine
The page saysIt spawns between May and July, when the water warms to about 75°F (23.9°C).
The source saysSpawning occurs from May to July when the water temperature reaches about 75°F (23.9°C).
The page saysTo clean the nest site before spawning, the male fans it with his fins and body.
The source saysPrior to spawning, the male cleans the nest site by vigorously fanning with his fins and body.
The page saysDepending on her size, a female may lay anywhere from 2,000 to 70,000 eggs in a year.
The source saysFemales may lay from 2,000 to 70,000 eggs per year depending upon size.
The page saysOnce the eggs are out, the male guards the nest and keeps the females away, because they will eat their own eggs.
The source saysAfter the female has released the eggs, the males take control of the nest and do not permit the females to visit the eggs, as they will eat their own eggs.
The page saysFrom sundown to about midnight is its active feeding time, in water anywhere from 50 to 94°F (10 to 34.4°C).
The source saysThey actively feed from sundown until about midnight when the water temperatures are between 50° and 94°F (10° and 34.4°C).Note: faq 3
The page saysIn winter it seldom eats.
The source saysIn the winter they rarely feed.Note: faq 3
The page saysThe longest the Florida Museum reports reached 52 inches (1.32 m).
The source sayswith the maximum reported total length of 52 inches (1.32 m)Note: faq 2

Source
03

Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Channel catfish. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

The page saysAn average mature fish weighs two to four pounds (0.9 to 1.8 kg)
The source saysAverage mature channel catfishes weigh between two to four poundsNote: kg conversion, see next claim
The page saysThe world record weight, for a fish caught in South Carolina in 1964, is 58 pounds (26.3 kg).
The source saysThe world record weight for a channel catfish was a 58-pound (26.3 kilograms) fish caught in South Carolina in 1964.Note: a catch record (NZP: world record weight for a fish caught in 1964), not a biological maximum

Source
04

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Freshwater Fish of America

Channel Catfish. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Freshwater Fish of America.

The page saysA catfish called a swimming tongue, with taste buds all over its body to find food in murky water.
The source saysThe channel catfish has been called a swimming tongue.Note: tagline, part 1
The page saysTaste buds spread over its whole body, most of them around its gills and whiskers
The source saysThey have taste buds spread over their entire body with most around their gills and whiskers.Note: stats.superpower
The page saysSome people call the channel catfish a swimming tongue
The source saysThe channel catfish has been called a swimming tongue.
The page saysIts taste buds cover its whole body, and most of them are around the gills and whiskers.
The source saysThey have taste buds spread over their entire body with most around their gills and whiskers.

Source
05

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Ictalurus punctatus (catfish). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysA channel catfish makes sound by moving the spine of its pectoral fin in the pectoral girdle.
The source saysThe pectoral spine moves in the pectoral girdle to create sound.
The page saysA structure called the Weberian apparatus links its swimbladder to its ear, amplifying vibrations that come from the bladder.
The source saysWith the help of the Weberian apparatus, which connects the swimbladder to the ear, they are able to amplify vibrations coming from the swimbladder.
The page says(0.9 to 1.8 kg)
The source says0.9-1.8 kgNote: average mass in kg

Source
06

USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database

Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque, 1818). USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.

The page saysIts native range covers the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence, the Red River part of the Hudson Bay drainage, and the Missouri and Mississippi basins, reaching from southern Quebec to southern Manitoba and Montana, and south to the Gulf.
The source saysSt. Lawrence-Great Lakes, Hudson Bay (Red River drainage), and Missouri-Mississippi River basins from southern Quebec to southern Manitoba and Montana south to the Gulf
The page saysPeople have also stocked it for sport fishing and food
The source saysIntentionally stocked for sport fishing and food.
The page saysin the Colorado River the earliest releases date to 1892-1893 or 1906
The source saysThe first introductions in the Colorado River took place in 1892-1893 or in 1906

Source
07

FishBase

Ictalurus punctatus, Channel catfish. FishBase.

The page saysThe menu is mainly small fish, crayfish, clams and snails, plus aquatic insects.
The source saysFood consists primarily of small fish, crustaceans (e.g. crayfish), clams and snails; also on aquatic insects and small mammals

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.