Bill to Launch New Market for Chesapeake Blue Catfish Passes House

In another step to address threats from invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay, the House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation today that will help watermen catch and sell more Chesapeake blue catfish.

The Mitigation Action & Watermen Support (MAWS) Act, co-sponsored by Reps. Sarah Elfreth of Maryland and Rob Wittman of Virginia, aims to set up a new market for blue catfish as pet and animal food. Efforts to expand catfish processing around the Chesapeake Bay have faced hurdles from U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection requirements that don’t apply to any other fishery.

The bill would launch a two-year pilot program in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Chesapeake Bay Office to provide grants to pet and animal food manufacturers to purchase blue catfish from watermen or processors. The program would also gather data on how the fishery benefits the Bay’s fish and crabs.

Blue catfish are native to the Mississippi River drainage but have become ubiquitous in the Bay’s rivers after being introduced decades ago. These invasive fish comprise up to 75 percent of the total fish weight in some Chesapeake rivers. Blue catfish have voracious appetites and feed on struggling native species like menhaden, striped bass, shad, and blue crabs.

CBF Senior Policy Director Keisha Sedlacek issued the following statement.

“Blue catfish are a major threat to the Bay and the fish, crabs, and other species that call it home. This bill provides a resourceful solution to address this threat.

“The more blue catfish watermen catch, the better for the Bay. Standing up a new market for invasive blue catfish as pet food will complement the growing demand for delicious wild-caught Chesapeake catfish that people are already enjoying.

“We’re grateful for the leadership of Congresswoman Elfreth and Congressman Wittman in finding creative ways to fight the Bay’s blue catfish problem.”