January 11, 2019. First mate Ray Harner holds her fish. Rocky Rice heads out on the Potomac River as soon as it's light enough to see. Rice can catch up to 1,200 pounds of blue catfish. 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. 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. As the next installment in a series of stories inspired by readers’ questions, The Baltimore Sun took a look at lake trout, that beloved Baltimore specialty steeped in heritage and tradition. The group, founded in 2013, works with partners to get the fish to hunger relief agencies as well as the grocery store chain MOM's, where customers can buy it for around $9 per pound. Scientists at SERC are also are tagging individual catfish with acoustic transmitters to track movement, migration, habitat use and possible dispersal among the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. Blog Post; The horses are out of the barn. $2,500. Blue catfish lack scales and possess an adipose fin, as well as a single, serrated spine in the dorsal and pectoral fins. The catfish are at least helping watermen make a living amid what they say feels like a barrage of regulations and conservation limits on other species and fluctuations in the populations of oysters and crabs. 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. In Virginia, the harvest is twice as large, so there is plenty of room for demand to grow. The state record white catfish (Chesapeake division) is 8.27 lbs. Way South and VA Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, February 21, 2019 Update: The southern waters of our Chesapeake haven’t been especially productive this week, and reports from the inlets are of slow pickings – instead, most anglers who report success are heading up the rivers to get in on the blue catfish which have been much more active than anything out on the Bay. Son tipped off FBI about his father, who is charged in Capitol riot, Coronavirus vaccine eligibility opens to more candidates in Maryland amid access questions, How to sign up for the coronavirus vaccine through Maryland counties, hospitals, Howard County man, 22, charged in connection with Capitol insurrection, FBI says, Mike Preston: Lamar Jackson deserves new contract, but Ravens shouldn’t mortgage away future | COMMENTARY, ‘The Hill We Climb,’ a transcript. Blue Catfish were introduced to tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay in the 1970s and 1980s to establish new fisheries, but their presence h... How to avoid getting duped by online catfish tales Once every couple months while scrolling through my Facebook feed, I'm inspired to put on my detective cap. Scientists say they don't have enough information to predict whether and how the catfish might be throwing bay ecosystems out of whack. The blue catfish is generally slate blue on the back to silvery/white on its underside and has a deeply forked tail. The species were introduced to the upper James River by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries in the 70s, and over time they've not only exploded in population but also proved to be significant predators when it comes to blueback herring, blue crabs, and menhaden. 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. Update: In September 2015, the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program awarded a green seafood recommendation, the highest rating possible, to Chesapeake Bay blue catfish.According to the Wide Net Project, it is the first invasive species to be assessed and rated by the program nationally. 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. Some specimens have obvious dark edges on their fins. Commonly found 12-13" in length, rarely exceeding 6 lbs. 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. The 710,000-acre watershed of the Nanticoke drains a third of Delaware’s land surface, then a huge chunk of the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland on its 50-mile journey to the Chesapeake Bay. The adipose is also nearly continuous with the caudal fin with only a small notch separating the two. species please contact the Natural Resources Police at 800-628-9944. By Sandra Olivetti Martin. Chesapeake Bay Overview Spanning over 200 miles from its Susquehanna River headwaters to the north to the southern mouth of the bay where it meets the Atlantic Ocean, the Chesapeake Bay is an angler’s paradise offering a large variety of fishing opportunities year-round. but can increasing , and capacity to consume significant the Bay watershed. Catfishing tips. The eyes of the blue catfish are placed in the lower half of the head. Studies are currently underway to determine their impact on other aquatic species. Diet. While many of those creatures are struggling to recover from population losses, and the catfish add one more competitor in the food chain, scientists haven't seen any downturn they could link directly to catfish. Four pairs of light, whisker-like barbels appear around its mouth. It is smooth-skinned, with a bluish- or greenish-gray body, a silvery white belly and olive fins. "Get it out of the bay and get it onto the plates of people who need it.". "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. Adults usually grow to be less than two feet long, but can be as long as five feet and weigh more than 100 pounds. I have no idea.". The VMRC has named the growing blue catfish population as one of the factors responsible for the low harvest numbers for crabs this year. The fish can grow up to four and a half feet in length and weigh well more than 100 pounds. He came to Chesapeake Bay on the AOY Classic bubble – in 41st place – and left in 24th place. nice day out. 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. With so many available in the Bay, one solution could be that people should simply eat more catfish. January 11, 2019. While both fish are long-lived [...] The post Chesapeake Plagued By Bay Blue Catfish appeared first on ODU Magazine-North America's #1 Digital Fishing Magazine. An opportunistic and adaptable apex predator, the blue catfish was foolishly introduced in the 1970s as fodder for recreational fisherman. 2011; VDGIF; VCU). They have a depressed or flattened skull and their upper jaw is much longer that the lower. They are usually found in small, low gradient streams. Rice can catch up to 1,200 pounds of blue catfish. The vertical fins are darkly edged in clear water but may appear only dusky in turbid water. A distinguishing feature of the blue catfish is that the anal fin margin, or edge, is straight as if it has been clipped with scissors. "Can I have one more piece?". In 2009, the dockside value of the blue crab harvest Bay-wide was approximately $78 million. Blue catfish now support exceptional trophy fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay region, particularly in the James and Potomac rivers, where catfish over 50 lb are regularly caught by anglers. 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. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program) by Joan Smedinghoff. 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. Neither do scientists. Collectively, state prisons are now using 3,055 pounds of blue catfish monthly, paying $5.31 a pound, according to Mark Powell, chief of marketing at the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Blue catfish were introduced as sport fish to the Chesapeake in the 1970s. Pete Springer, a Charles County waterman, fishes for invasive blue catfish in the Potomac River near Mallows Bay. Blue catfish are typically a bluish, gray color on top with a silvery or white underside. The department asks anglers to remove and kill any blue and flathead catfish they But blue catfish were able to tolerate higher salinity than anticipated. Conservationists, meanwhile, just hope blue cats continue to catch on with consumers such as Baltimore resident Robyn Williams. That’s because unlike the farmed variety, which eat a diet of corn-and-soy feed, blue … shad, river herring, , they will consume more native Bay fish. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and is surrounded by two states, Maryland and Virginia. The Bay Journal has a fascinating article on blue catfish and the threat they bring to the Chesapeake. 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. A boat captain leading a group of high school students caught a giant blue crab in the Chesapeake Bay. "It has taken over this river," Springer said of the blue catfish. The fish can grow up to four and a half feet in length and weigh well more than 100 pounds. “But no one knows how many blue catfish would need to be caught to reduce potential conflicts with other species – or whether a market exists for that large a catch,” reported the Bay Journal.. Congressional Seafood markets the fish as both tasty and a way to help the ecosystem of the Bay. More than a decade ago, the northern snakehead was Public Enemy No. 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. A new study confirms that nonnative blue catfish around the Chesapeake have the potential to take a significant bite out of populations of important native species such as blue crabs and river herring. “But no one knows how many blue catfish would need to be caught to reduce potential conflicts with other species – or whether a market exists for that large a catch,” reported the Bay Journal.. 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