A recent study conducted at Delta Western Research Center, Indianola, Mississippi has shown that food-sized channel catfish gain 15–18% of their body weight during a mild winter (average daytime water temperatures from November 15 to March 15 were about11–13 ๐C). Fingerlings were shown to gain up to 45% if they were fed during the winter. Because the feeding activity of channel catfish is reduced at low temperatures, it is hypothesized that adding a highly palatable feedstuff, such as fish meal, to the diet would increase feed consumption by catfish at low temperatures. There have been anecdotal reports that channel catfish eat more feed at low temperature when they were fed diets containing fish meal;however, this has not been scientifically validated.