The Chesapeake Bay's ecosystem is under threat from invasive blue catfish, which were inadvertently introduced to the region several decades ago.
Luckily, according to Maryland state officials, the invasive fish are also delicious and nutritious, offering a straightforward solution to the problem, WTOP News reported.
Maryland has launched a campaign to promote the blue catfish as a great meal option, hoping to drive enough demand for the invasive species that the fishing industry begins pulling more of them out of the water.
Blue catfish are apex predators that eat basically every other type of fish they encounter. In the Chesapeake Bay, they are eating large numbers of blue crabs — throwing off the balance of the ecosystem and threatening the blue crab fisheries that are vital to Maryland's economy.
"They are estimating that blue catfish are eating about 400 metric tons [around 440 tons] of blue crabs in a year, which is about 4% of the harvest of the state of Virginia," said Chris Jones, an official at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. "But then consider that harvest crabs are 5 inches or larger. These blue catfish are working on juvenile crab. So 400 metric tons of juvenile crabs is a significantly larger quantity of crab than eating 5-inch, 6-inch, 8-inch crabs. So it's become a huge problem."
Blue catfish are not the only invasive fish species threatening the Chesapeake Bay — this summer, a team of dam technicians prevented 3,000 invasive fish (mainly northern snakeheads) from entering the bay. Those fish were also eaten.
Eating invasive species — particularly, invasive fish species, which are often edible but little-known — has become an increasingly popular strategy for controlling their populations and helping to restore balance to ecosystems. Several campaigns have sprouted with slogans like, "If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em," and, "Your dinner makes a difference."
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