The state of Maryland is dealing with not one but three fish crises. Species, including the northern snakehead, blue catfish, and flathead catfish, are spreading rapidly over the Chesapeake Bay.
What is the authority’s solution? If you can’t beat them, eat them.
By preying on native fish and upsetting marine ecological balances, the three fish have caused indirect but significant damage to the local ecology, as is typical of invading species. This has led to a 91% drop in certain native species in the past decade. Hard blue crabs, rockfish, and yellow perch are among those species that have been affected.
As a result, Governor Wes Moore of Maryland has asked for the declaration of a commercial fishing disaster in the Chesapeake Bay.
Blue catfish originally came from river basins in the Midwest, such as the Rio Grande, Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri. Luckily, these unwanted fish are actually rather tasty. And more and more, it’s looking like Maryland may have to eat itself out of the problem.
Commercial invasive blue catfish harvests in Maryland increased from 700,000 pounds in 2013 to over 4 million pounds in 2023, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The government has renamed the snakehead to make it seem more enticing and created the “Catfish Trail” to promote all three species to customers.
Additionally, they have achieved remarkable progress in engaging local fishermen, anglers, and even amateurs. Groups like Reel Rewards, a program of the Environmental Justice Journalism Initiative, and government-organized fishing derbies are offering individual incentives to harvest the invasive fish.
Authorities say eradication is not feasible at this stage. The density and quantity of them are very high. The hope is that the population doesn’t increase.
In a continuing partnership involving the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), local seafood wholesaler J.J. McDonnell and Co. Inc., environmental consulting firm Normandeau Associates Inc., and owner of the Conowingo Dam Constellation Energy, thousands of invasive fish were removed from the Chesapeake Bay watershed at the dam earlier this year and given to food banks.
Feeding the catfish to the poor is a logical and humane solution to the problem of hunger.
