POINT PLEASANT — On Tuesday, the Point Pleasant River Museum received a new addition to the 2,400 gallon fish aquarium.

A 20 inch albino catfish was the first of its kind to join the other river fish in the aquarium. The catfish was made available to the museum by the generosity of Gary Peck.

The albino catfish is much like all other albino as a result of a genetic anomaly, which causes the fish to lack pigment and appear white. The light coloration makes the albino catfish easier to spot by predators and therefore is an uncommon catfish in the wild. The albino catfish may be a rare species, but they are caught out of the Ohio River.

There are nearly 150 species of fish found in the Ohio River. Since the opening of the aquarium, there have been many blue catfish, channel catfish and flathead catfish in the large tank. But this is the very first albino catfish the aquarium has ever held.

The river museum staff said that they were “very pleased” with their new addition and hope that visitors will stop by and see their newest attraction. The museum is closed on Monday, but open Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday 1-5:00 p.m.

In addition to being excited about the new albino catfish, the river museum also has big plans for this year’s Tribute to the River.

Being one of the area’s largest celebrations, the weekend event for this has been extended and will take place Sept. 4-6. With boats, exhibits, entertainment, contests, games and plenty of food, it’s no wonder an additional day was added to fit everything in.

“A lot of fun things are going on this year for the celebration,” Ruth Fout, administrative assistant at the museum, said.

The fun will include the Kanawha River Navy, boat tours, The Esquires, corn hole contest, sternwheel races and of course, tours of the river museum.

For more information about the aquarium or Tribute to the River, call the museum at 304-674-0144.