The Chesapeake Bay and its rivers supply a wealth of delicious seafood, including crabs, oysters and rockfish, but a predator lurking under water is threatening native species.
Blue catfish don’t belong in the Chesapeake, but likely more than 100 million are multiplying like crazy and devouring native populations of fish and crabs.
Holly and Josh Buckler have been harvesting blue catfish from the Patuxent River since 2013 and have seen the negative impact firsthand.
“This invasive fish is not going anywhere,” Josh Buckler said. “And the way it’s rooted now, good luck. Like I said, in four years, I bet you there won’t be another fish in this river besides catfish.”
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Maryland asked the federal government for a disaster declaration and wants commercial fishermen to go after the blue cats.
“Our goal is to pull out as many blue catfish as we can from the Chesapeake, and it’s going to require all of us,” said Stone Slade of the Maryland Department of Agriculture. “It’s not just a government-led initiative.”
But for watermen to make a living, they need to sell their catch, and there’s not much demand for blue cats.
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Creating new markets is a big priority, and the Maryland Department of Agriculture is having some success. Prisons are using it, as are food banks to provide to those in need.
Some restaurants are getting on board, too. Forward Brewing in Eastport has blue cat tacos and dip on the menu. Preserve in Annapolis uses blue catfish for their fish and chips.
“The more we can do to limit those blue catfish, the more the dominant species, the natural species will thrive,” said Jeremy Hoffman of Preserve.
But more needs to be done. The Bucklers can’t sell what they’re bringing in, so they’ve stopped fishing for now, just as the blue cats are spawning and increasing their numbers.
The state is working to find international buyers and is looking at pet food and fertilizer companies as possible buyers. The Bucklers say that’s a good start.
“If you can move thousands and thousands of pounds of these a day, you know, we could get the numbers under control,” Holly Buckler said.
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