Populations of invasive blue catfish, flathead catfish and snakeheads in Chesapeake Bay and its
tributaries continue growing, prompting Maryland’s governor to call for a federal disaster declaration.
Md. Governor Calls For Blue Catfish Disaster Declaration
by Keith “Catfish” Sutton
Maryland seeks federal assistance to combat invasive catfish threatening Chesapeake Bay’s commercial fishing industry.
On March 16, 2023, Maryland Governor Wes Moore sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo asking the federal government to declare the growing population of invasive fish species in Chesapeake Bay to be an ongoing commercial fishery disaster.
“In recent years, the state has become increasingly concerned about the explosion in the abundance of invasive fish species in Chesapeake Bay, including blue catfish, flathead catfish, and snakeheads,” said Governor Moore. “It is critical to act now to mitigate the effects of the invasive species and to provide assistance to the commercial fishing industry.”
The declaration would qualify Maryland for federal fishery disaster assistance under provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act.
Since 2012, the total catch of blue crabs, striped bass, yellow perch, white perch, American eels and other commercial species has declined 27 to 91 percent, and the dockside value of these species has declined 12 to 85 percent. That computes to tens of millions of dollars lost by Maryland’s commercial watermen and the state’s economy.
A direct scientific link between invasive species and the declines is yet to be determined. But the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) has growing concerns about high densities of invasive species. They’re especially concerned about saltwater-tolerant blue catfish, which prey upon native species and compete with them for space and food.
“Maryland, Virginia and other Atlantic Coast states have made wise and measured changes to many of our fishery regulations to protect our iconic species, but we have an emerging crisis on our hands that could undermine those measures,” said MDNR Secretary Josh Kurtz. “The impact of invasive species cannot be underestimated, nor can we delay action to address the damage they are causing.”
Blue and flathead catfish spread to tributaries throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed after being introduced by recreational anglers (without MDNR authorization) in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Snakeheads were first reported in Maryland in 2002 in a Crofton pond but were also illegally introduced to the Potomac and Nanticoke rivers and have since spread throughout the bay area.
The MDNR has increased invasive-fish monitoring programs and urges recreational anglers to target them to combat their population expansion. Fortunately, blue catfish, flatheads and snakeheads are all delicious food fish. Anglers can catch and keep any number of them, at any size, during any time of year.
The Department of Commerce will now begin a formal review that could provide support to study the impact of these large predators on Maryland’s native fish and crab stocks.
