Situations that are truly win-win are few and far between. But, resource managers and foodies alike agree: Eating blue catfish from the Chesapeake Bay is tasty and nutritious一and it is good for the ecosystem.
Blue catfish are considered an invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay. They were introduced to several rivers on Virginia’s Western Shore decades ago. People thought that these fish, which like fresh water, would stay in those rivers. But blue catfish were able to tolerate higher salinity than anticipated. They swam out into the Bay and back into other rivers. And people moved them from one river to another, too. They are now in most of the Bay’s river systems, in Maryland and Virginia’s Eastern and Western Shores.
Some people are happy to see blue catfish. They are fun targets for angling because they grow big and can provide a challenge for recreational fishermen. But blue catfish eat basically everything, including blue crabs and other fish. Not only do they compete with other larger fish for food … they eat those other fish, too. As a result, these apex predators are throwing the food web off balance.
Continue reading at NOAA Fisheries.
Image via NOAA Fisheries.