why are there so many blue catfish in the bay

While both fish are long-lived and fast-growing, it’s the blue catfish that is the major problem. These results confirm that the methyl mercury and PCBs levels of Chesapeake Bay Blue Catfish (15-36 inches long) are much lower than the FDA and EPA Safety Levels in Regulations and Guidance for commercial seafood (FDA, 2020). They found that blue catfish ate a wide variety of species, including many of management concern such as blue crabs, blueback herring, American shad, softshell clams, menhaden and white perch. Babyboomers who burned their bras and smoked pot to Jimi Hendrix in the 60s & early 70s got a hair cut, a decent job, grew up and started to settle down and make Gen-Y babies. Because it will eat most anything and can thrive in both fresh and brackish waters, the catfish quickly began its … Amid concern that blue catfish could be spreading out of control in the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River, there's an effort to stanch their population. Chefs in Maryland and Virginia have led the way in popularizing Chesapeake Bay Blue Catfish and increasing consumer demand to help control the fish’s numbers. Why Are They Invasive? Because blue catfish—and another invasive fish, the flathead catfish—have the potential to cause substantial harm to the Chesapeake Bay food web, the Chesapeake Bay Program recently developed an. This is good for developing the flavor but bad for the ecosystem of our Bay. For help accessing this or any UME publication contact: itaccessibility@umd.edu, For more information on this and other topics, visit the University of Maryland Extension website at extension.umd.edu. Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) Blue Catfish are long and often slender with a deeply forked tail. They are bottom-dwellers that prefer large rivers with deep channels, swift currents, and sandy bottoms. But, notice the spots along the sides. Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Anglers will have the best results fishing when water levels are low, and the river is within its banks. The University of Maryland Extension Seafood Technology Specialist and Family and Consumer Science Educators have worked together to deliver education and demonstration programs to enhance public awareness on food safety and nutrition of invasive Blue Catfish and promote safe consumption. ounces per week of a variety of seafood, which help provide a minimum recommended consumption of 250 mg per day of EPA and DHA, is associated with reduced cardiac deaths among individuals with and without preexisting cardiovascular disease (WHO, 2008; USDHH and USDA, 2015). But a new management plan says that with coordinated action — including ramped-up efforts to get people to develop an appetite for them — … The fish can grow up to four and a half feet in length and weigh well more than 100 pounds. How it succeeded! There have been studies to observe the invasive nature of catfish and some solutions have been derived for use by farmers who need to prevent catfish from being invasive in their private ponds. Its smooth skin lacks scales. According to a recent study (Fisher, 2020), Chesapeake Bay Blue Catfish fillets contain 19g of high-quality protein per serving (4 oz) with only 1.5g of fat. Blue catfish, the invasive fish with a big appetite that is overwhelming many Chesapeake Bay tributaries, is probably here to stay. The information presented has met UME peer review standards, including internal and external technical review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0307-1 Blue Catfish has a slate blue body with smooth skin, a silver-white belly and four pairs of black, whisker-like barbels around its mouth. While blue catfish are offered for sale to the public at many stores and markets, the fishery is still developing. It has a slate blue body, a silver-white belly and four pairs of black, whisker-like barbels around its mouth. Introduced in the 1970s from elsewhere in the states, the blue catfish is now invasive in the bay, where it devours blue crabs, something Billy Rice, a third-generation waterman, has witnessed firsthand. Virginia has created a new commercial fishery to target Blue Catfish using Low Frequency Electrofishing Technology (a generator supplied pulsed low frequency DC current that temporarily stuns the fish and causes them to surface to enable harvesting). Tidal Habitats Support Large Numbers of Invasive Blue Catfish in a Chesapeake Bay Subestuary. Therefore, consuming EPA and DHA directly from seafood is the only practical way to increase levels of these fatty acids in the body. While adults usually grow to be less than 2 feet long, they can grow to be 5 feet long and weigh more than 100 pounds. Available at: https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/environment/bs-md-blue-catfish-20190603-story.html Available at: https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/Documents/Invasive_Catfish_%20Fact_Sheet.pdf The Siluriformes order contains the thousands of different species of catfish on Earth. For more information, visit the National Institute of Health (NIH)’s website: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/, Even though another omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) present in plant oils, such as flaxseed, soybean, and canola oils, can be converted into EPA and then to DHA, the conversion is very limited (≤15%). World Health Organization (WHO, 2008). For chemical contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and methyl mercury, source control is the only way to reduce the associated risks since these chemical contaminants are heat stable and may not be destroyed through heating, refrigerating or freezing. Chef’s symposiums held annually at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science offer Blue Catfish fishery, sustainability, and culinary products education to chefs and culinary students. They are among the preferred prey of osprey and bald eagles. He argues that the lure of trophy blue catfish has drawn hundreds of people to the river, but once there, many have become even more interested in the health of its waters, its bald eagles, its ospreys, its great blue herons, and even its small but growing stock of Atlantic sturgeon. VIMS Marine Resource Report No. Therefore, eating Blue Catfish might just be the tastiest ways to help save the Bay. References Siluriformes. And because they have no scales, they are especially slimy, even as fish go. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/media/80400/download 06/07/2019. The following are some of the important native species in Chesapeake Bay that Blue Catfish eat. “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.. This fact sheet aims to enhance public awareness of this invasive species as a new commercial fishery resource. rfisher@vims.edu, This publication, Chesapeake Bay Blue Catfish: Invasive, but Delicious and Nutritious (FS-1142), is a series of publications of the University of Maryland Extension and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2801-9 What Is Being Done to Mitigate the Invasion? These catfish have quickly spread throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed into nearly every major tributary. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDHH and USDA, 2015). Blue catfish are apex predators of Chesapeake tributaries; they are opportunistic and generalist predators, feeding on important native fish such as menhaden, shad, river herring, as well as blue crabs, plants, and insects. Fabrizio, M.C., Tuckey, T.D., Latour, R.J. et al. There are many health benefits of Omega-3 fats in fish. Cooking is the best way to control microbial contaminants (bacteria, virus and parasite). The Invasive Catfish Workgroup of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team has developed an Invasive Catfish Management Strategy (PDF, 21 pages) to provide collaborative guidance on how Chesapeake states will manage this resource. Electrofishing efforts have caught upwards of 6,000 fish in an hour. Blue catfish have a flat dorsal fin and a deeply forked tail. 9 to 10 years, though some have been known to live up to 25 years, Average less than 2 feet in length but can grow to 5 feet, New England/Mid-Atlantic, An estimated 7,265 pounds of blue catfish were served on campus during the fall 2019 semester. They are tasty and nutritious. The Blue Catfish has become an invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay because they are voraciously opportunistic predators that daily consume between 8-9% of their body weight (CBP, 2017). In the Chesapeake Bay, blue catfish are a popular recreational fishery. They have eight sensory barbels or … They are silvery-blue in color with a white belly. extension.umd.edu. The guidelines are published in FDA’s Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, Appendix 5 (Fourth Edition-March 2020). Blue catfish are highly productive and create high numbers of offspring each reproductive cycle. Acknowledgement: The authors would like to thank Joe Love and Mary Groves (MDNR), Charles Poukish, Amy Laliberte and Kathy Brohawn (MDE), Weida Stoecker and Stone Slade (MDA), Mike Hutt (VMPB), and Laurie Arnold (UME) for their help including comments, suggestions and edits. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Lucky for humans, they are quite tasty and a good source of nutrition. Available at: https://www.chesapeakebay.net/documents/workshop_catfish_report_final_pdf.pdf Concerns about their potential negative effects on native species have arisen due to the abundance of Blue Catfish and their ability to consume a broad prey base (Schloesser, et al., 2011). Older and larger fish can accumulate higher levels of PCBs and methyl-mercury chemical contaminants. Since then, they have reached numbers beyond what anyone imagined in rivers from the James to the Potomac, and they had begun spreading to … But now, thanks to marketing efforts, particularly in Maryland, the commercial fishery for blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay is ramping up. Fishermen are catching more Blue Catfish and selling them to seafood grocery stores, as well as to restaurants. Copyright © 2004 - 2021 Virginia Seafood and Virginia Marine Products Board. All other catfish species have rounded anal fins. Blue catfish were introduced to a few rivers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed decades ago. The methyl mercury levels in fish fillets ranged from 0.033 ppm to 0.188 ppm and PCBs from 0.012 ppm to 0.071 ppm. Rice can catch up to 1,200 pounds of blue catfish. January 11, 2019. Abundant and commonly caught sizes of Chesapeake Bay Blue Catfish are 15-36 inches long and their fillets are safe to eat. They have been documented interfering with gill net fisheries, such as striped bass. They grow large and eat many native species, so they have the potential to cause a lot of harm to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Maryland Department of Natural Resources. While recreational fishermen have targeted blue catfish for decades in the Chesapeake Bay, development of a commercial fishery management plan is relatively new. 554 Denbigh Boulevard, Suite B, It was thought that these fish only lived in very fresh water. Many anglers like fishing for blue catfish because they are strong, savvy fish that are a good challenge. The Blue Catfish is a species in the large taxonomic order Siluriformes. Fisher, R.A. 2020. The Blue Catfish has become an invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay because they are voraciously opportunistic predators that daily consume between 8-9% of their body weight (CBP, 2017). Available at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=vimsbooks Credit: Chesapeake Bay Program. 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. From the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Fats and Fatty Acids in Human Nutrition, 10-14. Recreational fishermen in other areas, particularly those where blue catfish are native, also enjoy angling for these fish. The main product is whole fillet. Blue catfish are a tasty and nutritious fish, so the Management Strategy recommends that the Chesapeake Bay states focus on developing and expanding commercial fisheries for blue catfish. extension.umd.edu. Estuaries and Coasts 41, 827–840 (2018). Some of its closest relatives include the bullhead catfish, channel catfish, and more.It is the largest species of catfish … But in some areas, blue catfish can pose major challenges. The channel catfish can appear superficially similar to blue catfish, below. Omega-3 fats enhance infant brain development and health outcomes. The fillets have more healthy fats (unsaturated 75%) than unhealthy ones (saturated 25%). With so many available in the Bay, one solution could be that people should simply eat more catfish. In 2018 there was an estimated 500 million pounds of blue catfish in the bay. There are no current published Bay-wide estimates of Blue Catfish, though it has been reported there may be more than 100 million in the Bay (Tkacik and Dance 2019). Koi (鯉, English: / ˈ k ɔɪ /, Japanese: ) or more specifically nishikigoi (錦鯉, [ɲiɕi̥kiꜜɡoi], literally "brocaded carp"), are colored varieties of the Amur carp (Cyprinus rubrofuscus) that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens.. Koi is an informal name for the colored variants of C. rubrofuscus kept for ornamental purposes. Adult Chesapeake Bay Blue Catfish are not bottom feeders and thus don’t acquire a muddy taste. Blue Catfish of the Chesapeake Bay, on the other hand, are wild and feed on fish and shellfish. Chesapeake Bay Blue Catfish: Invasive, but Delicious and Nutritious! Therefore, Blue Catfish should be thoroughly cooked and not eaten raw. General perception of catfish most often comes from farm-raised Channel Catfish. How Can You Help? Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. As a result, these fish have expanded their range throughout the Chesapeake. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 28355–28366 (2018). (2011). Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) is the Largest Species of Catfish in North America Why are they so delicious? The blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) is the largest species of North American catfish, reaching a length of 165 cm (65 in) and a weight of 68 kg (150 lb).The typical length is about 25–46 in (64–117 cm). cathyliu@umd.edu Females produce 4,000 to 8,000 eggs per kilogram of body weight—so a 10-pound fish could produce more than 20,000 eggs. As you’ll read in his story, blue catfish are an alien species, deposited in regional waters the way so many oddities arrive: released by humans, in this case to build a new fishery. Blue catfish can be found in the waters of many states—both coastal and inland. 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. What Forms of Blue Catfish Product Can You Buy? Interim Summary of Conclusions and Dietary Recommendations on Total Fat & Fatty Acids. December 2015. For the best experience, please use a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. Chesapeake Bay Blue Catfish products prepared for distribution in commerce for use as human food are routinely inspected by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (USDA, 2018). Even though they prefer fresh water, Blue Catfish can tolerate brackish waters of the Chesapeake Bay river estuaries with salinities up to 15 ppt (parts per thousand). And they "really, really, really like Chesapeake Bay tributaries," he says. National Institute of Health (NIH, 2019). For PDF download click: Chesapeake Bay Blue Catfish UMD article. All rights reserved. et al. The fillets also contain vitamin D and potassium but provide negligible amounts of trans fat. Catches in the Virginia section of the Bay have also skyrocketed, the Chesapeake Bay Journal reports, reaching over 1.2 million pounds in 2014, up from just 150,328 pounds in 2010. An opportunistic and adaptable apex predator, the blue catfish was foolishly introduced in the 1970s as fodder for recreational fisherman. Luellen et al (2018) analyzed mercury and PCBs levels for a total of 116 individual Chesapeake Bay Blue Catfish samples (31 from the James River and 44 from the Rappahannock River in VA, and 41 from the Potomac River in MD). Tkacik C. and Dance S. (2019): As blue catfish multiply in Chesapeake Bay, watermen pursue new catch — and restaurants offer new delicacy. The fish can live to 20 years. They actively feed on aquatic prey, including other fish (Menhaden, American Shad, White Perch, and River Herring) and shellfish (crabs, clams, and mussels). Eat Healthy and Support Virginia’s Economy While Enjoying Fresh Virginia Seafood, Facts About the Virginia Seafood Industry 2018, 2018 Virginia Commercial Landings Figures, Landings and Value of Top 20 Virginia Species 2017. There is an amazing variety of catfish to be found, both farm-raised and wild. In fact, it may be tastier than any catfish you’ve ever had. Credit: Ian Vorster/VA Sea Grant 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. Guide services in the James and Potomac rivers run expeditions that target blue catfish. In the Chesapeake Bay watershed, channel catfish reach weights of 10 pounds or more, although 2-3 pound fish are more common. Adults usually grow to be less than two feet long, but can be as long as five feet and weigh more than 100 pounds. Virginia Seafood Handling, Safety, and Health, Virginia Seafood Guide – Sustainability in VIrginia, Virginia Aquaculture Oyster Growers Directory. Chesapeake Bay Invasive Catfish. It is illegal to transport them from one body of water to another. Increasing commercial harvest and consumption of Chesapeake Bay Blue Catfish is one way to reduce numbers of this invasive fish in our Bay. Up close and in person, blue catfish are gruesome creatures. University of Maryland Dining Services serves Chesapeake Bay Blue Catfish on campus and includes it in menus and promotions. As a new predator in the ecosystem, Blue Catfish have been flourishing, invading the spawning waters of American Shad and other fish and shellfish native to the Bay’s tributaries, eating their eggs and endangering their survival. Non-native Blue Catfish The results show that the levels of mercury (˂0.47 ppm) and PCBs (0.001 to 0.856 ppm) in fish up to 41 inches are much lower than the FDA and EPA Safety Levels in Regulations and Guidance for methyl mercury (1.0 ppm) and PCBs (2.0 ppm) in commercial seafood (FDA, 2020). Invasive Catfish in the Chesapeake Bay. Chengchu Liu (University of Maryland-AGNR-UME Sea Grant Extension) But in some areas, blue catfish can pose major challenges. Blue catfish can grow to be larger than 100 pounds. Blue catfish, the invasive fish with a big appetite that is overwhelming many Chesapeake Bay tributaries, is probably here to stay. The massive fish, hooked last week on the Chattahoochee River, is the largest ever blue catfish caught in Georgia, the state’s Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday. Catching and eating this invasive species may contribute to needed population control. As a wild product, there is some variation in size; normal size being 8 to 14 ounce fillet. 2020-8 and VSG-20-30. "Blue catfish eat everything, including each other, and there aren’t a whole lot of things that eat them once they get a certain size." Catfish fillets are typically breaded and fried although a number of recipes exist. 2008, Geneva. Chesapeake Bay Blue Catfish is mild and flaky, with a taste similar to striped bass. Maternal consumption, during pregnancy and breastfeeding, of at least 8 ounces (two servings) per week of seafood that contains DHA is associated with better infant health outcomes. Internet Explorer lacks support for the features of this website. Consumers should ask for Chesapeake Bay Blue Catfish at their local grocery store or restaurant. Now keep in mind that there are many different types of catfish depending on where in the world you are reading this. Blue catfish, which can grow to lengths of 5 feet, were released into Virginia’s Bay tributaries in the 1970s as part of an effort to build a sport fishery. Unlike its cousin, the channel catfish, the Blue Catfish is not a bottom feeder and has a sweeter, more delicate flavor. Blue Catfish also eat crab, fish, crayfish, clams, mussels, frogs, and other readily available aquatic food sources, which play an important role in our ecosystem and economy. Newport News, VA 23608, Phone: (757) 874-3474 In my opinion the best tasting catfish is the Blue Catfish which is running wild, literally, in the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland currently views the blue catfish as an invasive species and there are no limits in size or creel on them. The anal fin is rounded and has fewer rays than the blue catfish, below. This allows them to move throughout different parts of the Chesapeake Bay where they interact with commercial and ecological important species. They spawn once a year from late May into June, mostly in lower-salinity streams and smaller tributaries. Blue catfish are landed commercially using a variety of nets, impoundments, and traps. Since they are not picky about where they live, they have expanded their range to most of the major rivers of the Chesapeake Bay. Blue catfish represent up to three-quarters of the biomass in the James, Rappahannock and York rivers on Virginia’s western shore of the Chesapeake Bay (Schloesser et al. This will result in greater numbers of catfish harvested from the system and available for processing market and consumers. The Chesapeake Bay record is a blue catfish caught in the James River that was 102 pounds. Schloesser, R.W., Fabrizio, M. C., Latour, R. J. et al. Growing Numbers of Blue Catfish Raised Concerns about Potential Negative Impacts on Native Species in Chesapeake Bay Ecosystems. Fax: (757) 886-0671, Problem displaying Facebook posts.Click to show errorfunction cffShowError() { document.getElementById("cff-error-reason").style.display = "block"; document.getElementById("cff-show-error").style.display = "none"; }. The Blue Catfish are native to the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio river drainages but were introduced in the James, York, and Rappahannock rivers to establish recreational fisheries Blue Catfish to spread throughout the inland waters and its tributaries of Chesapeake Bay. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA, 2018). There is minimal bycatch. Their smooth skin lacks scales. In the early 2000s, commercial fishing interest in blue catfish was low due to low market demand and lack of consumer awareness of the fish. Regional and national tournaments are held annually on the James River, and the Potomac River is nearly a year-round hotspot for catfish angling. But they can tolerate water that is not completely fresh. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, Report a Stranded or Injured Marine Animal. Based on those results, the researchers estimated what the potential predation by blue catfish might have been during spring 2012 in two specific locations. States in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are working together to encourage recreational fishing for these catfish—and to develop and grow a commercial fishery as well. Estimates of 1.6 million Blue Catfish within a 12 kilometers (km) stretch of the James River are reported (Fabrizio et al 2018). Jurisdictions that manage fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay work together to discuss the latest fisheries science and coordinate their regulations through the Chesapeake Bay Program. They grow big and ugly and gray. Available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/inspection/siluriformes 8th Edition. Like Most Fish Species, Blue Catfish Fillet is High in Protein and Low in Fat and Cholesterol The numerous small lakes along the backwaters offer great fishing opportunities offering a variety of species such as bluegill, shellcracker, largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass, and mullet. The Chesapeake Bay Program recently released its Invasive Catfish Management Strategy (PDF, 21 pages) to guide the management of blue catfish in the Bay, and an Invasive Catfish Workgroup meets frequently as well. So let’s do a quick recap on the two different types of catfish so we are all on the same page first. Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP, 2017). Its smooth skin lacks scales. Freshwater Catfish vs Saltwater Catfish. Like any kind of food, fish (including Chesapeake Bay Blue Catfish), may have potential risks associated with microbial and chemical contaminants. Blue catfish have four pairs of black whisker-like barbels around their mouths. Robert Fisher (Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Virginia Sea Grant ) Blue Catfish leviathans lurking in the river! Blue catfish have been stocked as a recreational catch in almost 20 states.

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