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BLUE CATFISH NEWS

This news roundup features updates about the blue catfish industry, recipes, regulations, and more. If you have a news story that should be featured here, please contact us

Commentary: Maryland Missing the Catfish Boat

July 7, 2022 | Baltimore Sun

 

Maryland is being held back from addressing the invasive blue catfish problem by a mix of politics and business that resulted in an onerous an unnecessary federal regulation. In Maryland, where processors operate 24/7 to keep all kinds of seafood moving to market, the regulation is an obstacle to a breakout of blue catfish as a major commercial catch.

Cooking with Lynn: Blue Catfish Cakes

June 16, 2022 | WMDT 47 ABC Delmarva

 

Blue catfish cakes make a delicious, affordable, and nutritious alternative to crab cakes.

Blue Crab Population in Chesapeake Bay Hits Record Low

May 25, 2022 | The Washington Post

 

A new survey shows number of blue crabs dropped to 227 million, marking a low point in 33 years of tracking the crustaceans. The increase in crab predators, such as blue catfish, was one likely culprit of the decline.

Video: Salisbury University Blue Catfish Study

May 22, 2022 | WBOC’s Outdoors Delmarva

 

At the Sharptown Catfish Tournament, Salisbury University researchers investigated the contents of blue catfish stomachs to gather data on the fish’s diet in Nanticoke River to see if they are eating threatened species, like river herring or Atlantic sturgeon, or economically important species, like rockfish and blue crabs.

Blue Catfish Caught with Entire Wood Duck in Stomach

February 7, 2022 | Field & Stream

 

Unlike other catfish species, blue catfish are not bottom feeders. In fact, researchers at Salisbury University caught a blue catfish with the remains of an entire wood duck in its stomach!

Video: Seafood Wholesaler J.J. McDonnell Harvests Invasive Blue Catfish to Help Chesapeake Bay

July 14, 2021 | WJZ 13 CBS Baltimore

 

J.J. McDonnell is trying to raise awareness and sales to get as many blue catfish out of the bay and onto plates. Invasive blue catfish grow fast, live long and have high reproductive rates, resulting in depletion of native Bay species, like blue crabs, striped bass and oysters. But the fish’s mild taste and affordability make it a great eating fish.

Climate Change Could Boost Spread of Invasive Catfish in Bay

March 26, 2021 | College of William and Mary

 

The invasive blue catfish is already spreading throughout the Chesapeake Bay, threatening species like blue crabs and rockfish along the way. A new study by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science suggests that continued warming of Atlantic coastal waters may enhance the spread of invasive blue catfish within the Chesapeake Bay and other estuaries along the U.S. East Coast.

Blue Catfish: When We Can’t Beat ‘Em, Eat ‘Em

November 17, 2020 | Bay Journal

 

The state-federal Bay Program recently released an Invasive Catfish Management Strategy, which represents the first Baywide effort to coordinate actions for dealing with the fish. It promotes eating more blue catfish before they can eat too many native species, bringing awareness to the tastiness of the fish, overcoming misconceptions about the fish being a bottom feeder, and expanding commercial markets for the fish.

Video: How to Cook Blue Catfish Like a Pro

September 28, 2020 | Chesapeake Bay Magazine

 

The Local Oyster’s Chef Mark Woerner gives a lesson on cooking one of the Chesapeake Bay region’s hottest new culinary trends: wild caught blue catfish.

Study Shows Invasive Blue Catfish Can Tolerate High Salinities

November 5, 2019 | College of William and Mary

 

A study by researchers at William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science warns that blue catfish — an invasive species in several Chesapeake Bay tributaries — tolerate salinities higher than most freshwater fishes, and thus may be able to expand their range downstream into mainstem Chesapeake waters, and from there into new bay tributaries and even Delaware Bay.

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