Introduced in the 1970’s, Blue Catfish are endangering the Chesapeake Bay.
What makes the Blue Catfish so resilient?
Not your average catfish….
Chesapeake Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) are a different species than the more common channel catfish grown in the Southern States. They have a sweeter, flaky flesh thanks to their rich Chesapeake Bay diet and do not develop the “muddy” flavor associated with common catfish. The Chesapeake blue catfish are caught wild year-round by local Chesapeake fishermen who have seen their numbers skyrocket over the past few decades. They are harvested mainly with baited hoop nets and a very low to no by-catch. Most Chesapeake blue catfish are brought on-board live which results in a very high-quality and fresh catch.
Strong Defense
While adult blue catfish have few natural predators in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, they are among the preferred prey of both osprey and bald eagles. When attacked, blue catfish defend themselves with serrated spinal barbs located on both their dorsal and pectoral fins. The spines have glands that expel harmful toxins, which can enter predators’ wounds and cause sharp pain.
Far reaching
Why haven’t we heard of it before? Because like many area residents, the fish relocated here. Native to the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio rivers (and sometimes called “chucklehead cat”), blue catfish were introduced to Virginia’s James, York, and Rappahannock rivers for sport fishing in the early 1970s. With no natural predators to threaten the species, it flourished, sometimes living up to 20 years and growing to 100 pounds. Now it’s invading the spawning waters of shad and other fish native to the bay’s tributaries, eating their eggs, and endangering their survival. And while they prefer freshwater, they are not picky about where they live, so they have expanded their range to live in most of the major rivers that flow into the Chesapeake Bay.
Hungry
Blue catfish are voracious eaters, and they have few natural predators. Blue catfish feed on medium-size fish like menhaden and white perch as well as clams and the famed blue crab. And while that diet may be good for developing the fish’s mild and clean-tasting flavor its bad for the Chesapeake Bay's delicate ecosystem.
Our Wild Blue Catfish Program
For generations local commercial fishermen have built their livelihood upon the waters of the bay in capturing striped bass, blue crab and various other species. However, they have now turned their expertise towards the blue catfish. Fishermen use baited hoop-nets, fish pots and haul seines allowing for the fish to be captured alive and any unwanted species returned to the bay unscathed. Fishing blue catfish is a great outlet for local fishermen to supplement their time while they are not in their targeted season.
Once the fish are harvested they are packed in ice on the boat and then they are picked up at the dock by refrigerated truck and delivered to our processing and distribution center.
Under USDA inspection, blue catfish is hand cut and skinned as soon as it reaches the plant, then packed as required.
As a wild product, there is some variation in size; we can process a variety of portion and filet sizes as well as a wide range of value added blue catfish products.
General perception of catfish most often comes from farm-raised channel catfish. Blue catfish of the Chesapeake Bay, on the other hand, are wild and feed on fish and shellfish. This produces a white mild tasting fillet with excellent texture and a slight hint of crab.
Local
Wild
All natural
Year-round availability
Low carbon footprint
Clean mild flavor