Decades ago, anglers looking for a fun and challenging species to catch in the rivers of the U.S. state of Virginia decided to bring blue catfish – a species native to Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and the Rio Grande river basins – into the region’s rivers.
Anglers introduced the species to the James, Rappahannock, and York rivers in Virginia, under the belief that the species could only survive in very fresh water, and thus would be unlikely to spread between rivers. That belief
J.J. McDonnell Business Development Manager Stephanie Pazzaglia said during a panel presentation at the National Fisheries Institute Global Seafood Market Conference, held in La Quinta, California, U.S.A. from 15 to 19 January, that her company is working to build a market for blue catfish with the goal of reducing its population and helping local fishers – colloquially known in the region as watermen.
“We probably started selling blue catfish 10 or more years ago, however, building that market is the biggest challenge, as in Maryland, it generally isn’t one of the most-popular fish,” Pazzaglia said. “Educating and telling the story really was and is a big part of the work we do – it’s outreach and education on blue catfish and telling this story.”
Without an established market for blue catfish, prices tend to be lower, which in turn means fishermen aren’t as likely to catch them. In response, Pazzaglia said her Elkridge, Maryland, U.S.A.-based seafood company began to offer incentives to take away overhead costs for fishermen, allowing them to make more money on the species.
“Fishing for blue catfish, you’re not going to make as much money per pound as when you’re bringing in blue crab and striped bass,” Pazzaglia said. “We offer our transportation, we offer our vats, we offer ice to the fishermen, so that all they have to do is catch the fish and then we’ll find a market for them."
Further aiding the effort is that fishermen can catch blue catfish at any time of the year, with no limits. As an invasive species, states surrounding the Chesapeake Bay encourage people to catch the fish – and require anglers who do catch it to kill any catfish they catch. That means the off-season of more-popular fisheries, watermen can fish for blue catfish to supplement their incomes.
“They’re able to fish in their nontargeted seasons, now they’re able to fish all year long instead of just a month or two,” Pazzaglia said.
NOAA describes blue catfish as “delicious," and Pazzaglia said she can confirm that official government position.
“It’s preying on all the good stuff, so it does have a sweet, mild flavor. It’s very versatile – you can fry it, sauté it, put it in soups, you can even grill it,” she said. “There’s a lot of different creative ways that some smart chefs are able to find and make it appealing for their customers.”
J.J. McDonnell is working to finding new markets for blue catfish, and Pazzaglia said supporting the fishery means fishermen can get better prices and an invasive species can be controlled.
“There isn’t a solid number of how much fish is being taken out of the bay, but I can tell you that it’s not enough,” she said. “We are constantly finding new markets.”
Photos courtesy of J.J. McDonnell
