Scientific name - Tandanus tandanus

Distribution - Eel-tailed catfish are naturally distributed throughout the Murray-Darling Basin and in the Eastern drainages NSW north of Newcastle. Eel-tailed catfish numbers in the Murray-Darling Basin have declined due to a range of impacts including invasive species, habitat degradation, cold water pollution and fishing pressures and are now virtually absent from the Murray, Murrumbidgee and Lachlan catchments.  

Size -  Can grow up to 900mm and 7kg, however fish over 2kg are exceptional.

Characteristics - Colour ranges from grey to brown dorsally or laterally, usually mottled with dark brown to black blotchings with a whitish underbelly. Larger fish have less mottlings and can be more green in colour fading to white below. Eel-tailed catfish builds a nest in areas of still water to breed, and their reproduction is not temperature reliant. Catfish feed on zooplankton, small fish, shrimps and insects. Catfish are relatively inactive and do not migrate for spawning, unlike other inland species such as golden perch or Murray cod.