![]() If you fish alone or are going for the first time and need some advice, there are a lot of resources available to you. The department has online tools to assist you in how to catch and fillet invasive fishes. Once you buy a fishing license, not only will you be permitted to fish for these very tasty fishes, but you will support department efforts to engage more of the public, conduct research and share information. Anglers should remember that it is illegal to have a live northern snakehead in their possession. Anglers must use legal fishing gear and have a current fishing license. These invasive fish can be harvested any time of year, at any size and in any number. Unlike other fish species in the state, there are very few rules for harvesting invasive species. To help educate the public on invasive species and as an alternative food source, the department routinely donates northern snakehead and blue catfish to local food banks and public and private events.įish and eat then repeat. In addition, introducing blue catfish into the state’s public institutions also creates jobs and supports educational opportunities on invasive species. The state initiative is twofold: reduce the number of invasive species and provide Maryland citizens a locally sourced and healthy meal option. Schools, universities, hospitals and prisons are serving up blue catfish to help reduce their population. However, both recreational anglers and commercial markets can be slow to develop an affinity for these ugly fishes and spreading the word of their tastiness takes time.īlue catfish is now on the menu at most state institutions that have food service. As with other predator fish populations, imposing greater fishing pressure on these species will cause their numbers to decline. The department has launched many campaigns over the past fifteen years to encourage the public to fish and harvest these invasive fish. When a new species enters a complex ecosystem like the Chesapeake Bay, the ecosystem can change in ways that threaten ongoing conservation or management efforts. Potentially fatal pathogens such as largemouth bass virus and mycobacteria are found in parts of the Chesapeake Bay, but these pathogens could expand their ranges by hitchhiking along with the highly mobile northern snakehead. Invasive species can also spread viruses or disease. These invaders eat native fish, although blue catfish tend to also eat a lot of macroinvertebrates, like blue crabs and mussels. Many invasive species do not have natural predators in their new habitats, so their numbers can increase rapidly. Maryland’s invasive fishes affect the Chesapeake Bay in different ways depending on their abundance and location. ![]() It was also illegally introduced to Potomac River and Nanticoke River, and has since spread throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. ![]() The first reported sighting of the northern snakehead in Maryland was reported in 2002 in Crofton. Flathead catfish primarily occupy some areas of the Potomac River and lower Susquehanna River (above and below the Conowingo Dam). Blue catfish can now be found in several major rivers of Maryland, including the Potomac River, Patuxent River, and Nanticoke River. After their introduction, they quickly spread into Maryland waters. In some cases, invasive species cause ecological harm by preying on other species and causing changes in communities.īoth blue and flathead catfish were introduced into the Chesapeake Bay in the 1960s through the 1980s to create new recreational fisheries, a common practice at the time. How do these invasive fish affect the Bay?Īn invasive species is a non-native species that causes or will likely cause either ecological or economic harm to an environment. ![]() While the department is investigating other ways of controlling the spread and abundance of these fish, we encourage the method that has been tried and true for centuries – eating them! And the good news is that the illegally introduced invasive fishes in Maryland are not only edible but delicious! These species now pose an array of potential problems for the ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.Įven with increased fishing pressure, controlling the abundance of invasives after they’ve become established can be difficult. Maryland’s infamous invasive fishes - blue catfish, northern snakehead, and flathead catfish - were introduced to bay waters without Maryland Department of Natural Resources authorization. Biologist holds blue catfish caught by electrofishing, courtesy of Branson D. ![]()
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