Catfish take first leap into a cleaner Chicago River

11-Jun-14 – (Above) 10,000 catfish ride a water slide into the Chicago River on Tuesday. The one-year-old channel catfish are being introduced to the river as its spawning habitat is restored, thanks to a $300,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

At a news conference on Lower Wacker Drive near the confluence of main, north, and south branches, Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River, called the fish release “symbolic of how the Chicago River has improved dramatically.”

Another 20,000 catfish were released on Tuesday into the Little Calumet River in Indiana. Over the next year and a half, 70,000 more will be set free in area rivers as 400 habitat structures are built for the fish.

“The effort here is a massive investment in improving water quality throughout the Chicago area waterway,” said Marc Miller, director of Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The catfish will grow to 18 to 30 inches in length. Will they be safe to eat? The Illinois Department of Public Health will monitor the fish as they grow and “appropriate advisories will be established as necessary.”

(Above) Margaret Frisbie speaks to reporters on Lower Wacker Drive overlooking the Chicago River. (Click on images to view larger versions.)