The second macroeconomic consideration of increased imports is the impact on exchange rates. As we have shown in the previous section, as U.S. consumers increase their consumption of imports, the supply of dollars in foreign exchange markets rises.
A member of the Ictalurus genus of American catfishes, channel catfish have a top-end size of about 40â50 pounds (18â23 kg). The world record channel catfish weighed 58 pounds, and was taken from the Santee-Cooper Reservoir in South Carolina, on July 7, 1964. Realistically, a channel catfish over 20 lb (9 kg) is a spectacular specimen, and most catfish anglers view a 10-lb (4.5-kg) fish as a very admirable catch.
Grey to white in colour and lacking stripes, the Mekong giant catfish is distinguished from other large catfish species in this river by the near-total lack of barbels and the absence of teeth. The Mekong giant catfish currently holds the Guinness Book of World Records' position for the world's largest freshwater fish. Attaining an unconfirmed length of 3 m (9.8 ft), the Mekong giant catfish grows extremely quickly, reaching a mass of 150 to 200 kg (330 to 440 lb) in six years.