About this episode
The episode discusses the impact of invasive blue catfish on the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and the potential economic benefits of managing their population.
In “Virginia Has the Blue Catfish Blues,”Gravy reporter Anya Groner takes listeners to the Chesapeake Bay, where, over the past decade, invasive blue catfish have derailed the ecosystem in the East Coast’s largest fish nursery. Native to the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio River basins, blue catfish were first stocked in the bay’s tributary rivers in the 1970s to provide a new trophy fish for recreational anglers. At the time, no one predicted that a freshwater catfish could make its way into the brackish waters of the Chesapeake Bay, much less outcompete native crabs, oysters, and fish. The impact has been devastating for the environment and for the seafood industry. Generational watermen are going out of business, and most of the fishmongers who buy and process their catch have shut their doors. Yet, Dr. Michael Schwarz, associate director of Virginia Tech's Seafood and Agricultural Research & Extension Center, says there’s a lucrative way to manage the population of this expanding apex predator and reinvigorate the seafood industry. Blue catfish happen to be delicious. Studies show that managed correctly, a blue catfish fishery could have an economic impact of $1.1 billion and…
People in this episode
Host: Anya Groner
Topics covered
- invasive species
- seafood industry
- environmental impact
- blue catfish
- Chesapeake Bay
- economic opportunities
Keywords
- blue catfish
- Chesapeake Bay
- invasive species
- seafood industry
- economic impact
- Virginia Tech
- Dr. Michael Schwarz
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Virginia Tech's Seafood and Agricultural Research & Extension Center
Places: Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, North Carolina, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio
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