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Blue catfish are hungry creatures.
They are found in most Chesapeake Bay tributaries, gobbling up species that environmentalists have worked to rebuild for years. From mussels and menhaden to oysters and crabs, they aren’t picky.
“They eat everything,” said Chris Moore, the Virginia executive director for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
The invasive species’ hefty appetites are damaging the bay’s ecosystem.
There could be as many as 100 million catfish in the Chesapeake Bay. Estimates for the blue catfish population range from 700 million to 1 billion pounds, according to research from Virginia Tech. A population of that size is capable of removing up to 60 million pounds of seafood from the bay every day.
To reduce the sizable catfish problem — and better protect native Chesapeake Bay species — environmentalists and seafood industry leaders want to encourage more people to eat the whiskered predator. Some Hampton Roads restaurants are putting blue catfish on the menu. But they say there’s work to be done to change people’s perceptions of the fish and make it easier to serve them.
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Changing palates, perceptions
Blue catfish have an image problem in the mid-Atlantic.
Unlike in Gulf Coast states like Louisiana and Mississippi — where catfish is king and often served on seafood platters and spaghetti plates — Virginians don’t love them. Because they’re a relatively new species for the mid-Atlantic, they have not built a fan base or infrastructure like other species, such as striped bass or menhaden.
Some people view blue catfish as bottom feeders, but that’s not really the case. Since they’re a strong predator, they often feed at the top and middle of the water column, said Kyle Rowley, chief operating officer of the local seafood restaurant chain Skrimp Shack.
“That customer perception is very difficult to change,” he said. “When I sit on the register and talk to people, I can convince anybody to buy it and explain why it’s important, but you can only do so much with a poster.”
Initially introduced to the Chesapeake Bay in the 1970s and ’80s, blue catfish were brought in to help boost recreational fishing. Moore said because they can grow up to 65 inches and over 100 pounds, blue catfish initially were hought to be a good option for fishermen looking for trophy catches.
Catfish are typically freshwater fish, but wildlife managers did not know blue catfish are adaptable to salinity, or how salty the water is. During heavy rain, large amounts of freshwater expand the range the catfish can travel. Adaptability has kept them virtually with no predators and given them a smorgasbord of food throughout the bay.
“What has happened since that time is the population has really grown a lot more than they ever thought it would be,” Moore said.
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Industry challenges, opportunities
In addition to changing customers’ tastes, restaurants and watermen also face challenges in processing the fish.
Currently, processing blue catfish compared with other species is more expensive. It’s done by hand, and to get it to big-box grocery stores or club stores to sell in large quantities requires additional costs such as fuel, freezing equipment, trucking and transportation. Since 2023, the state has given two $250,000 grants as part of a program meant to help expand and fund blue catfish production. Equipment funded by the grant is also expensive, so funds are typically used up quickly.
Once it’s in stores, then watermen and processors have to keep up with the demand, said Mike Hutt, executive director of the Virginia Marine Products Board.
Rowley said higher processing costs lead to higher costs in restaurants, and consumers may choose a more affordable and familiar fish such as flounder.
Catfish also is the only fish regulated as “meat” rather than seafood, so blue catfish falls under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, not the Food and Drug Administration. USDA inspectors are required on site at all catfish processing plants, which can get expensive. Hutt said this creates more hurdles for others in the seafood industry to hop into the catfish market, and some smaller processors pulled out of the catfish industry because of the change, which went into effect in 2016.
Easing regulations on blue catfish could help other more heavily regulated species, such as blue crab, rebound, said Hutt.
“(Environmental regulators) have done all of these things to help save the crab industry, and I would say we are just as bad as we were 25 years ago when we started all these efforts. We’re still seeing a reduction of crabs,” Hutt said. “And when you open up the bellies on these catfish, you see 20, 30, 40 crabs in the belly at one time. So how many times a day are they doing that?”
Blue catfish, unlike most other Chesapeake Bay seafood catches, are unrestricted and can be fished almost year-round. Hutt said that makes them a unique opportunity for watermen.
There’s also untapped potential for use of catfish byproducts that are not eaten, Hutt said. Blue catfish have a high amount of collagen, which is used in cosmetics, and other pieces could be used for pharmaceuticals. Virginia Tech researchers are also looking into other byproduct uses.
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From processing to plates
Skrimp Shack introduced blue catfish to its menus for a limited time last summer, and it did well enough to reintroduce it again later this year. As a versatile meat, Rowley said it can take on any cooking style — be it grilling, frying, blackening or pan-searing.
“It’s almost as versatile as chicken, truthfully, but with more moisture internally, getting more flavor than chicken,” Rowley said.
Rowley, who grew up fishing on the Chesapeake Bay, said he and others in the seafood industry are working to encourage customers to consider blue catfish. Last week, Hutt visited the Seafood Expo North America in Boston and served fried blue catfish while chatting with other industry professionals about the species. Hutt said interest in building.
“They’re pretty much surprised, and you get a good reaction and see their eyes light up,” Hutt said. “And it’s just that educating and spreading the word and convincing the club stores and grocery stores, buyers and the chefs to put it on the menu. And we’re doing a good thing. We help and save other species and helping environment.”
Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com
