Spotted Pictus Catfish

Question
I had one of my spotted pictus catfish caught in the net.  It was netted on it's top fin and one of it's side fins. I was attempting to cut the net around him and he stretched out.  I finally got him out of the net but now I notice that the side fin that was caught does not function properly.  It appears to be broken, instead of going to his side it just sort of sticks out in the complete opposite direction.  Will this ever heal and will he live?

Answer
Hi Chuck... that is a hard question to answer.... mostly because there can be a couple of reasons why his fin is in that position. It may just be that it is out of joint- so to speak- or it may be that he has a fracture.  If it is out of joint it may go back on its own from him trying to use it. If it is a fracture or a muscle tear it may stay that way.  not much you can do about that.  The trick to catching catfish it so use a new with the smallest holes possible... I use a plastic bag to catch them... I just punch a lot of holes in it and then kind of herd them into it.  dave