![]() ![]() Their taste has been likened to striped bass, another Bay favorite.It's no secret that catfish have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, which is why these baits work like magic. Blue catfish is already available in many grocery and seafood stores.Īdult blue catfish are not bottom feeders, so they don’t get the “muddy” taste some catfish do. And they include healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, too. A 4-ounce serving of blue catfish includes 19 grams of protein, with only 90 calories and 1.5 grams of fat. They want people to understand the effects of blue catfish on the Bay and to know that they are delicious and nutritious. Managers hope to increase public awareness of blue catfish. But their numbers are not as great as blue catfish and they are more limited to freshwater. In addition to blue catfish, flathead catfish are also invasive in the Bay. Recently, this Workgroup approved an Invasive Catfish Management Strategy (PDF, 21 pages) to guide efforts around the Bay to manage invasive catfish. The Chesapeake Bay Program, in which NOAA is a key partner, has an Invasive Catfish Workgroup that has focused on the problem. And resource managers have been working to identify ways to keep the population from getting out of hand. As a result, these apex predators are throwing the food web off balance.įishery biologists have learned more about blue catfish in recent years. Not only do they compete with other larger fish for food … they eat those other fish, too. But blue catfish eat basically everything, including blue crabs and other fish. They are fun targets for angling because they grow big and can provide a challenge for recreational fishermen. Some people are happy to see blue catfish. ![]() They are now in most of the Bay’s river systems, in Maryland and Virginia’s Eastern and Western Shores. And people moved them from one river to another, too. They swam out into the Bay and back into other rivers. But blue catfish were able to tolerate higher salinity than anticipated. ![]() People thought that these fish, which like fresh water, would stay in those rivers. They were introduced to several rivers on Virginia’s Western Shore decades ago. But, resource managers and foodies alike agree: Eating blue catfish from the Chesapeake Bay is tasty and nutritious一and it is good for the ecosystem.īlue catfish are considered an invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay. ![]() Situations that are truly win-win are few and far between. ![]()
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