Blue catfish devastating Chesapeake Bay served on school menus : NPR

Key Points:

• Maryland schools, such as Preston Elementary, are serving blue catfish in dishes like catfish cakes to encourage kids to eat this invasive species and help control its population in the Chesapeake Bay.
• Blue catfish, native to the Midwest, were introduced to Virginia rivers in the 1970s but have since spread throughout the Chesapeake Bay, threatening native species and the local seafood industry due to their rapid reproduction and predation on important fish and crab populations.
• Maryland officials have partnered with programs like Bay2Tray to promote blue catfish as a sustainable and tasty food option in schools, grocery stores, and restaurants, aiming to reduce the invasive fish's impact by increasing human consumption.
• Local watermen, such as Rocky Rice, have shifted their focus from crabbing to catching blue catfish year-round, benefiting from the absence of fishing limits on this invasive species and helping to manage its numbers.
• Challenges remain in processing blue catfish due to USDA inspection requirements, limiting the number of processors, but ongoing efforts seek to expand markets and raise awareness, with experts encouraging consumers to "eat the problem and save the bay."