Amid heightened concern that blue catfish already could be spreading out of control, watermen, conservationists and government officials are attempting to stanch their population by catching as many of those invaders as they can and encouraging people to eat their firm, clean-flavored flesh. Conservationists, meanwhile, just hope blue cats continue to catch on with consumers such as Baltimore resident Robyn Williams. The fish can live to 20 years. 2011; VDGIF; VCU). People thought that these fish, which like fresh water, would stay in those rivers. Chefs have been pushing the fish as part of an effort to control its burgeoning population in the Chesapeake Bay. It is smooth-skinned, with a bluish- or greenish-gray body, a silvery white belly and olive fins. Rice, who now gets more than half of his income from blue catfish, said the invaders have been a blessing in disguise. Margined madtom is a small, light colored, secretive fish less than 6 inches in length. Blue catfish have the run of most of the Chesapeake, thanks to the record rains of the past eighteen months throughout the Chesapeake watershed. Rice can catch up to 1,200 pounds of blue catfish. They have a depressed or flattened skull and their upper jaw is much longer that the lower. That doesn't mean that won't happen, though. Studies are currently underway to determine their impact on other aquatic species. They are only just starting to research where the bay's new catfish go to keep warm in the winter and to spawn in the spring, how much saltwater they can tolerate, and just how much their population has grown in the Chesapeake. (Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun video). They appear in overwhelming numbers in parts of rivers such as the Patuxent and the Nanticoke, enough that it's easy to net hundreds of them in just an hour. top predators and pose a serious long-term threat to our native species. Its tail fin is deeply forked. In 2015, Virginia researchers estimated there were about 100 million of them in the Chesapeake, and it's likely the blue catfish population has grown since then. Yellow bullhead have cream colored chin barbels which differentiates them from other bullheads. There's been a lot of recent attention on blue catfish, which have arrived from the Mississippi River system and are spreading around the bay. January 11, 2019. Mostly, it's not blue crabs he's after, but blue catfish. The eyes of the blue catfish are placed in the lower half of the head. The blue catfish is generally slate blue on the back to silvery/white on its underside and has a deeply forked tail. In the Chesapeake Bay region, blue and flathead catfish may harm species such as American shad and blueback herring in rivers from Virginia to Pennsylvania. “I knew I could get five bites a day in that area, if you grinded it out,” Swindle said. The story behind the Baltimore delicacy with a misleading name. The blue catfish is a major predator of the blue crab population in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. (Blankenship, 2019). While snakehead didn't quite catch on as a delicacy, could blue cats? Meaty and subtle, blue catfish makes an easy dinner. "They're just so grossly abundant," said Joe Love, a freshwater fisheries biologist at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. "It's a twofold problem," said Wendy Stuart, a trained chef and the Wide Net Project's co-founder and executive director. species please contact the Natural Resources Police at 800-628-9944. The more blue catfish dishes served, "the better chance we have of getting it out of the bay," said chef David Thomas of Ida B's Table in Baltimore. They have a pale or cream-colored area located on the back and on the margin of the caudal fin. This has led to a concern that they are preying on the Bay’s commercially important fish, such as blue crab. They are usually found in small, low gradient streams. That’s because unlike the farmed variety, which eat a diet of corn-and-soy feed, blue … Meanwhile, the meandering channel of the tidal river and its freshwater marshes support strong populations of both species of perch, several sunfish (locally known as bream), largemouth bass, black crappie, chain pickerel, and blue, channel, and white catfish. Their bellies are often white or pale in color. Commercial watermen in Maryland and Virginia harvested more than 5 million pounds of them in 2017 — almost twice as much as the states’ combined striped bass commercial harvest. They are the largest of the catfish family in North America and can attain weights in excess of 100 pounds. "I would get that again," she said. The vertical fins are darkly edged in clear water but may appear only dusky in turbid water. They’re the new fish du jour on the Chesapeke menu. While the Bay’s blue crab population did slightly increase over the past year, to 411 million crabs, the stricter regulations have been kept in place to get crab numbers up to a healthier level, closer to the 765 million-population number of 2012. The adipose is also nearly continuous with the caudal fin with only a small notch separating the two. The blue catfish, Williams said, was heartier and meatier than catfish she was used to. Striped bass, bull reds, swordfish, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and numerous other species will be doing their best to fatten up for winter this month, giving anglers a number of possibilities to pick and choose from. Whether it’s browsing the seafood counter at your local grocery store or enjoying a boat ride down the James River, you may have encountered one of the Bay’s most notorious invasive species: the blue catfish. Blue catfish ( Ictalurus furcatus ) have been widely introduced throughout the United States and are invasive in Chesapeake Bay. Blue catfish is a newcomer to Washington stores and restaurants, it’s sustainably caught in the Chesapeake Bay, and it’s probably tastier than any catfish you’ve ever had. Anglers typically encounter channel catfish less than 24" in length in Maryland but larger fish can be found. Last year, Maryland officials announced a new program to allow state institutions such as prisons, schools and hospitals to buy cases of the blue catfish from Maryland Correctional Enterprises, a job-training program under the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. "There's a pretty decent market for them right now.". Rapa whelks, native to Asia, have invaded the Chesapeake Bay and are raising concerns about economic and ecological impacts to the Bay region due to their shellfish diet. Some fish can become more salt tolerant when exposed to brackish waters like those in the Bay. If you catch a catfish in Chesapeake Bay, there’s a good chance it’s an invader from the Mississippi River drainage–probably a blue catfish, though it could be a less common flathead catfish. There isn't evidence yet that their growth has translated to a downturn for other species. Congress isn’t helping. They swam out into the Bay and back into other rivers. The commercial blue catfish harvest around the Bay last year totaled more than 5 million pounds, while striped bass harvests were less than 3 million. Blog Post; The horses are out of the barn. The state record white catfish (Chesapeake division) is 8.27 lbs. Catfishing tips. fishing for catfish in the summer. Typical size for a Margined Madtom is 3 – 5 inches. Lots of Catfish. Gladys Hooks, left, of Macon, Ga., reeled in this blue catfish fishing with Capt. Blue cats now appear on plates everywhere from Baltimore's ballpark and high-end restaurants to state-run prisons, creating a growing new market for the bay's watermen. During a recent Orioles home game, she tried a sample of breaded and fried blue catfish on her way to the stands. Blue catfish, which were first introduced by Virginia officials to the James River for sport fishing, might number more than 100 million in the Chesapeake Bay now, researchers say. Biologists and state fishery managers fear harm from the blue catfish, which can grow to 5 feet, to native species such as blue crabs, yellow perch and white catfish. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program) by Joan Smedinghoff. Tasty is the rating they usually get — especially when the taste and words are on the lips of people responsible for making lemonade out of these piscatorial lemons. Blue catfish are considered an invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay. They were introduced to several rivers on Virginia’s Western Shore decades ago. They can grow to 5 feet long and weigh up to 100 pounds while gobbling up other commercially valuable fish, such as menhaden and blue crabs. With so many available in the Bay, one solution could be that people should simply eat more catfish. Whether it’s browsing the seafood counter at your local grocery store or enjoying a boat ride down the James River, you may have encountered one of the Bay’s most notorious invasive species: the blue catfish. A boat captain leading a group of high school students caught a giant blue crab in the Chesapeake Bay. Their backs and sides are often an olive or light brown color with darker mottles or specks. That’s because unlike the farmed variety, which eat a diet of corn-and-soy feed, blue cats feed on medium-size fish like menhaden and white perch. Time for responsibility, too. Blue catfish were introduced as sport fish to the Chesapeake in the 1970s. You asked: What is lake trout? And they "really, really, really like Chesapeake Bay tributaries," he says. In areas such as the Susquehanna, Patuxent, Potomac, James, Nanticoke, they are often found from a river’s mouth upstream to the fall line and beyond. "There are more of them out there, but also more people going after them," said Sean Corson, acting director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Chesapeake Bay office. Tadpole madtom is generally smaller than the margined madtom. Harris Creek Oyster Co. opened a stall at Camden Yards this year, offering pink catfish fillets caught fresh from the Potomac and served in sandwiches. The blue catfish is generally slate blue on the back to silvery/white on its underside and has a deeply forked tail. Brown bullheads can be found in both tidal freshwater and non—tidal rivers, streams and ponds. First mate Ray Harner holds her fish. In 2009, the dockside value of the blue crab harvest Bay-wide was approximately $78 million. 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