TRCP got to help firsthand with hauling in trotlines set to remove this aquatic invasive species from the Chesapeake Bay, as part of larger management efforts that require collaboration and partnerships

It’s one thing to read about the abundance of invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay.  But it’s another thing to experience it for yourself. These voracious predators have now spread throughout most of the Upper Bay and are established in every major tidal river in Maryland.

I recently had the opportunity to spend a day on the water with photographer and waterman Jay Fleming, running a trotline in Maryland to witness first-hand the extent of blue catfish abundance in the Upper Bay. It was enlightening, to say the least. In a few short hours of retrieving lines, our small boat and crew hauled over 800 pounds of invasive blue cats onto the boat – using just four trotlines set in one relatively small area along a single shoreline.

The trotlines were already set before we arrived. Each weighted line ran nearly 1,000 feet in length, with circle hooks on mono line attached every 10 feet. Baiting with chunks of gizzard shad, the lines were deployed in relatively shallow waters, rarely exceeding 10 or 12 feet in depth. Retrieval was a fairly straightforward affair – lines are pulled in by hand, removing hooks and fish as they come to the boat. A tug on the line indicates the presence of a protesting blue cat close by in the set. Captured fish are quickly gaffed and brought aboard and the process continues. At the end of the day, we had a boat full of fish and a very long night of fileting ahead of us. But that was one of the best parts, and just one reason why all the work was worth it. Despite their appearance, blue cats make excellent table fare.

Blue Cats Take a Heavy Toll

Introduced to the Bay region in Virginia waters in the 1970s, blue catfish have rapidly expanded their geographic range and numbers throughout the Upper Bay and into Maryland. This aquatic invasive species (AIS) has colonized many of the Bay’s margins, pretty much anywhere salinity levels are tolerable. They are voracious feeders and can attain a size upwards of 100 pounds. As you can imagine, that means they can have a significant impact on native prey species. And these prey species include important species like rockfish (or striped bass), blue crabs, and menhaden – staples of the Bay ecosystem and the center of its cultural and environmental heritage. But the prey items don’t stop there. These catfish also eat shad, herring, mussels, white perch, white clams, razor clams – the list is extensive.

Blue catfish are now recognized as an existential threat to Bay health. Their prey base is commercially and ecologically vital to the Bay. A culture and economy that is driven by recreational fisheries, commercial fisheries, and blue crabs has a lot to lose from the impacts of blue catfish. And the effects of a non-native, voracious, large predator have created ripple effects throughout the native ecological community, with potentially disastrous consequences. But thankfully efforts are underway to mitigate their impacts.

Solutions Through Federal Policies, Programs, and Legislation

Efforts to encourage increased blue catfish harvest have resulted in federal and state-level initatives that provide resources to incentivize large-scale removals. In March 2026, the House of Representatives passed the Mitigation Action and Watermen Support (MAWS) Act (HR 4294) with bipartisan support. The act, initially sponsored by Reps. Sarah Elfreth (D-MD) and Rob Wittman (R-VA) and now in the hands of the Senate, would help to address barriers that inhibit facilities from effectively processing catfish, due to USDA inspection requirements that are unique to catfish. It would create a two-year pilot program allowing the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to enter agreements with manufacturers or processors of such products as pet food, animal feed, and aquaculture feed – industries that could potentially utilize these invasive catfish as a raw material – to facilitate the purchase of blue catfish harvested from the Bay’s watershed by watermen, or acquired through seafood processors.

Related grants would incentivize increased harvest of this AIS by supporting the necessary transportation, processing, and manufacturing infrastructure to secure a long-term market. With so many blue cats in the Bay, there is little concern of the resource running out anytime soon. The USDA also recently announced investments in seafood processing facilities that will expand their processing capacity and drive production markets for Bay-area blue catfish. Fish at commercial processing facilities that are intended for consumption are typically inspected by the Food and Drug Administration – with the exception of catfish. This means that these facilities need adequate infrastructure for storing and/or processing invasive catfish separately. Funding these upgrades will allow processors to upgrade their facilities, ultimately leading to the removal of more catfish out of the Bay and into markets.

State-Level Solutions

Maryland lawmakers recently passed legislation that extends the Invasive Blue Catfish Pilot Program. This extends the program through 2030 and gives Maryland DNR more tools to continue working toward reduction efforts. Expanding commercial markets, destigmatizing catfish as table fare, and incentivizing new methods for removal will combine to promote increased harvest.

Multiple pilot programs in the state have been developed to encourage additional reductions in catfish biomass. The For-Hire/Commercial Blue Catfish Pilot Program, the Mid- and Lower-Bay Blue Catfish Trotline Pilot Program, and the Commercial Electrofishing Chase Boat Pilot Program are all designed to incentivize the sale of catfish and expand eligible equipment that can be used to harvest blue cats. And the Chase Boat Pilot Program allows charter boats to net blue catfish that surface during DNR electrofishing surveys. The boats follow behind DNR electrofishing crews, netting and harvesting stunned blue cats – a great example of an innovative solution to a complicated issue.

Blue Catfish Working Groups

The Chesapeake Bay Program has convened an Invasive Catfish Work Group, which brings together scientists, local stakeholders, commercial fishery groups, and processors to develop methods and evaluate impacts of blue cats in the Bay. The workgroup also works toward developing actions that implement the five policy objectives outlined in the 2012 Invasive Catfish Policy Adoption Statement.

The Invasive Catfish Advisory Committee brings together stakeholders like fish dealers, processors, commercial harvesters, recreational anglers, and academics through Maryland DNR, the Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission, and the Tidal Fisheries Advisory Commission. This group discusses relevant issues and develops management recommendations for blue catfish management. Working groups like this stress the importance of collaboration and partnerships between various agencies and stakeholders, working toward a common goal.

Legislators, biologists, and stakeholders are together developing many new and innovative solutions to promote harvest. Blue catfish and byproducts are being promoted as fertilizer, pet food, and even food for zoo animals. Blue catfish are even being used for school lunches, and markets are being developed outside of the Bay region through additional USDA Regional Agricultural Promotion Program grants.

It’s hard to comprehend the sheer magnitude of the Bay’s blue catfish problem. How many are out there? And what will it take to mitigate their impacts on native species? Fortunately, local stakeholders, Bay communities, state and federal agencies, and fisheries managers continue to collaborate in an effort to develop solutions. Even as land managers and legislators work on watershed-wide efforts to improve upstream water quality in my home state of Pennsylvania and throughout the watershed, which would improve Bay fisheries, it could all be for naught if these fish are gobbling up the last blue crabs and juvenile stripers in the Bay. Though total harvest continues to climb annually, it has not yet reached a number high enough to turn the tide. Developing a Bay-wide blue catfish management plan that outlines annual goals for harvest will be invaluable for future management.

What Can You Do?

Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em! Blue catfish filets are thick and white in color. They broil, grill, and fry really well. Annual events in the region showcase local chefs and dishes featuring blue cats as table fare, such as a sold-out Chesapeake Catfish Cook-Off in Annapolis last month,  highlighting just how good these fish taste. Many resources have been developed to promote blue cats for the dinner table, and not just to promote harvest, but because they really are delicious (which I can personally attest to).  And there are a ton of ways to prepare them. Whether you purchase catfish from a market or prefer to fish for them traditionally along Maryland’s Catfish Trail, take the opportunity to try them. You won’t be disappointed.

But also remember that the next aquatic invasive species might not be as delicious, so AIS prevention remains key.