A study was conducted with blue and channel catfish to determine the effect of salinity upon distribution in a tidal bayou complex on Rockefeller Refuge, Grand Chenier, Louisiana. Stations were spaced at locations from the Gulf of Mexico to Grand Lake, a large freshwater body of water which is apparently quite productive of blue and channel catfish. Collections were made primarily with an otter trawl towed for 10-minute intervals at each sampling station. Hoop nets, wire traps, trammel nets, trot lines and rotenone were used to verify trawling results. Distributional data indicated that a 2:1 ratio existed between blue and channel catfish and that they are more abundant in waters with average salinities of 3.7 and 1.7 ppt, respectively. However, both species were collected from waters with salinities ranging up to 11.4 ppt.
