If You Can't Beat 'Em ...

... Feed 'em to the kids. NPR, When an invasive fish is also tasty, Maryland schoolkids can help 'eat the problem'

It's lunchtime at Preston Elementary School, on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Kids file in, get dollops of food on their segmented trays, and maybe grab a chocolate milk. But one option on today's menu is special, served alongside grapes and broccoli.

"I got a catfish sandwich!" announces Ben Rochon, a second-grader. Between mouthfuls, he tells me how it is: "It's yummy." He's eating a catfish cake, also known by its nickname, the "catty patty." Some kids like it with ketchup or mayo. Fifth-grader Teagan Donovan goes minimal. "I like it by itself with no toppings, because it's pretty good by itself," she says. In Teagan's case, "by itself" is literal: "I ignore the bun."

Not everyone's into the fish cake — after all, this sunny Friday is also pizza day at Preston, and cheese slices are tough competition. But more kids have been trying catfish when it's served a couple of times a month. That's good news to Beth Brewster, who oversees food services for Caroline County Public Schools. "It tastes great. It's great for you," she says of the fish cake.

 

It has another benefit: It's made with blue catfish. Since spreading to the Chesapeake Bay in recent decades, the fish has become an apex predator. It can grow to more than 100 pounds; its voracious appetite is fueling worries that it's eating too many native species. 

"It tastes so good because it eats everything we love — crabs and rockfish, and all kinds of things that we love to eat," Brewster says. Beth Brewster led her chefs in developing a catfish cake known as the "catty patty." Brewster is the supervisor of food services for Caroline County Public Schools.Ryan Kellman/NPR

State officials first asked Brewster to help tackle this problem about eight years ago.

"I was like, 'Beth, we have this invasive species. It tastes pretty good, is what we've been hearing. Can you do something about it?'" says Karen Fedor, administrator of the Farm and Food Programs at the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

 

Fedor describes Brewster as an "out-of-the-box thinker" who'd be up for the challenge of experimenting with recipes that appeal to kids — and also conform with federal dietary requirements. That's how Brewster's team landed on a crabcake-like dish made of blue catfish. "It was kind of fun for my chefs to play with the recipe," she says, adding that because they have USDA approval, the cakes can be served anywhere in the U.S.

The pandemic initially slowed the effort down, Brewster says. But then she heard that Virginia was partnering with a California-based program called Bay2Tray to connect seafood with schools. Brewster got in touch with a simple message: "I have a fish for you."

Now, other school districts in both Maryland and Virginia are serving blue catfish. In Preston, a rural community near the Choptank River, kids are excited to do their part by chowing down on the catty patty. "It kind of tastes like crabs, but in a fish way," says fifth-grader Raelynn Truitt. "It's like, really really good."

Blue catfish does taste good, and I reckon kids on the eastern shore are used to eating fish. But I would like to point out MDE has health advisories published for consumption of Blue Catfish caught for sport that depend on the age of the consumer, the size of the fish, and the tributary they are caught in. With commercial catfish, you have no idea where they originate. Of course, MDE has exempted commercial fish from those advisories. That's convenient.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Last of the Autumn Light up on time and under budget.

Maryland Gets Money for Blue Catfish Control

 WBOC, Congressman Andy Harris announces $6 million investment in invasive catfish processing

Maryland Congressman Andy Harris has announced a multimillion-dollar U.S. Department of Agriculture grant fund aimed at expanding invasive catfish processing.

According to Harris’ office, the funding will provide grants ranging from $50,000 to $2 million to allow catfish processors to expand facilities, purchase equipment, and increase the number of invasive catfish processed.

Congressman Harris previously announced a similar round of funding in 2025, calling it a “big win” for coastal economies battling the invasive species. Here on the Chesapeake, the voracious fish pose a threat to native species such as striped bass, menhaden, shad, and blue crabs.

 

“Invasive blue catfish are reducing the blue crab and native fish populations that Maryland watermen harvest and sell,” Congressman Harris said in a statement on Wednesday, Sept. 9. “Increasing processing capacity will strengthen the market for wild-caught catfish, expand opportunities for watermen and seafood processors, and remove more invasive fish from the Bay. I thank Secretary Rollins and USDA for making this funding available to protect the Chesapeake Bay and strengthen Maryland’s seafood economy.” 

It's worth noting that Andy Harris is Maryland's sole Republican representative, who the Democrats are desperately trying to gerrymander out of office.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Coffee & Sweater awaiting your digital pleasure.

The Lantern Flies are Here

Two days ago we had a thunderstorm accompanied by high winds. Yesterday, when we went down to the beach in the afternoon, there were many of them washed up on the beach. Although I knew Chinese Lantern Flies had made it to Calvert County, this was the first time I had seen them. Not a great thing. Hopefully, the birds will discover their edibility, and help suppress them.

It was a gorgeous day, as days following storm systems often are, in the upper 70s with clear skies and low humidity.

We took Gabby out on our walk, and she found her first shark's tooth. In fact, she found 4 of them, three of them so small they would be hard for adult to spot. Of course, she dropped the first one she found and lost it, after insisting she would be able to keep hold of it.

Is the Bay Ready for The Thrilla from Manila

 At the Baltimore Sun, Could a popular delicacy yet invasive shellfish come to Chesapeake Bay? "Manila clams make up of one of the most heavily cultivated and commercially valuable species in the world."

Manila clams, a popular global delicacy known to also be invasive, could come to the Chesapeake Bay — but might not necessarily harm the ecosystem, experts say.

The exotic species originally from Asia was recently discovered near the northwestern Atlantic coastline off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, one of the last places in the northern hemisphere to remain free of the mollusk, a collaborative team of marine biologists found.

Manila clams make up one of the most heavily cultivated and commercially valuable species in the world. The shellfish, however, can become invasive through its rapid breeding and overtaking native ecosystems, marine ecologist Aly Putnam, who was the paper’s lead author, told The Baltimore Sun.
Matt Gray, a professor in the ecophysiology of bivalves at University of Maryland, told The Sun the saltwater clams would be more likely to populate in the south of the Chesapeake, near Virginia, rather than Maryland because of the saltiness and depth of the water.

 OK, so not here. That's something.

“We’ve got all the right habitat, enough food and it’s warm enough to support their reproduction and for them to do well down there,” Gray said.

Experts said the mollusks would have to push against gulf streams to eventually land in the Chesapeake, but could accidentally get moved through ships, both commercial and recreational.

Although the clam is invasive in other ecosystems, until they’re physically in the Chesapeake, it’s unknown whether they would initially cause harm, experts said.

Putnam said the clams can end up being a food resource for different animals in different ecosystems, which is a positive.

I'm sure Blue Crabs, Cow Nose Rays and Drum will learn to eat them.

Changes in climate, water temperatures and salinity levels make it harder to predict if a species will adapt or impact existing ecosystems, said Julie Luecke, Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Maryland coastal resource scientist, in a statement to The Sun.

Luecke pointed to a nonnative species such as zebra mussels in the Chesapeake directly harming or outcompeting native freshwater mussels.

An exotic species like Manila clams would generally take away resources that would be put into growing native species and their ecosystem services, Gray said.

“I think it’s bad because we’ve got enough problems with our own clams and oysters that we don’t need additional competitors,” Gray said. “But I just want to say that, if it shows up here, it doesn’t necessarily mean it would be invasive.”

I find it amusing that they're worried about a new clam could take away phytoplankton from other filterfeeders, like oysters and native clams. In Chesapeake Bay, for years our main concern has been too much phytoplankton fueling anoxia. 

Frankenfish Invade Pennsylvania (Again)

 YaHoo!  Pennsylvania anglers warned to kill 'Frankenfish' on sight after creek catch

A single fish pulled from a Pennsylvania creek has prompted an unusually strong warning for anglers. As The Trentonian reported, locals are being advised that if they catch this predator again, do not throw it back.

According to The Trentonian, anglers in the Bensalem area are being warned once again a year after a northern snakehead was caught there.

Officials in Bucks County are urging people to kill northern snakeheads, often referred to as "Frankenfish," that they say are still lurking throughout the area, the paper said.

Snakeheads are native to Asia and have gained a troubling reputation in the United States because they are highly adaptable predators, as Pennsylvania's Fish and Boat Commission described.

The Trentonian noted they can breathe air for short periods, survive out of water longer than many fish, and feed on a wide range of prey, including smaller fish, frogs, and crustaceans.

Officials are therefore urging anglers not to return these fish to the water alive, since even one catch can suggest an invasive species is moving into a creek, pond, or river system where it does not belong, the paper said.

Bensalem is up in the Delaware River drainage. Honestly, I don't see how they expect to keep the Snakehead out of that system. Snakeheads are now endemic in the freshwaters of Maryland's Eastern Shore. At the head of those waters, it's just a hop, skip, and a determined wriggle across to streams of the Delaware system.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Monday: Redhead in Denim up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

MD Gets $2 Million for Blue Catfish

WBAL, Maryland awarded $2 million to battle invasive blue catfish in Chesapeake Bay

Maryland is receiving $2 million from the federal government to combat invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay.

It was one of five projects to receive federal funding highlighted by 3rd District Rep. Sarah Elfreth in Annapolis on Monday.

“We all know how detrimental invasive blue catfish is to the bay,” Elfreth said. “We know that they are eating absolutely everything we know and love, blue crabs, baby oysters, rockfish.

 

Josh Kurtz, the state secretary of natural resources, encouraged Marylanders to help with t
he effort.

“Yes, delicious, eat it, as much of it as you can. There’s a lot of restaurants in Annapolis that carry it,” Kurtz said. “Several new restaurants are popping up that have some fantastic dishes.” 

If all you want is people to go out and kill Blue Catfish, there are a lot of people who would do it for free. Two million would pay for an awful lot of guided trips for Blue Catfish, but I rather expect most this money will end up being spent on  working groups, studies, and overhead at academic institutions. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Happy 250th, America! up in star-spangled glory at the Other McCain.

Wired2Fish, Maryland Offering Up to $1,500 Per Blue Catfish Charter Trip

In addition to tournament incentives, Maryland is launching a new pilot program designed to support both invasive species management and the state’s charter fishing industry.

The DNR is offering charter boat captains and fishing guides reimbursements of up to $1,500 per trip through a new initiative called the “Reel in the Blues Bonanza.” The program will provide free blue catfish charter trips to randomly selected members of the public during the summer and fall of 2026.

Captains interested in participating must submit an interest form by June 22. Beginning June 24, the state will open registration for members of the public who wish to be entered into a drawing for free blue catfish fishing trips.

 Hey, that's two days. Maybe I'll put in.

Participating captains and guides will be reimbursed by the department for up to $1,500 per trip, including compensation that may exceed the normal cost of a charter and includes gratuities for mates. To qualify, operators must possess a Maryland Waterman ID number, hold a valid U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license when applicable, and report harvest data electronically through Maryland’s FACTS system.

According to Maryland officials, the program is part of a broader strategy to reduce invasive blue catfish populations while collecting harvest information and supporting the charter fleet. State officials indicated similar programs could continue in 2027 and 2028 depending on funding and participation levels.

It might help, but I have a feeling the market for Blue Catfish is pretty well saturated. The captains will go any day they can put a charter together, and most of the time it doesn't seem like they have too much trouble lining up anglers. But if they started offering free, or lower cost trips, from this program, they might grow their customer base.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Redness a bit late, but within reason.

No Need to Dephrag the Bay

John Page Williams at CBM has A New Take on an Invasive Species

You’ve seen plenty of it along Chesapeake waterfronts: the common reed, with its tall, feathery seed heads. You probably even call it by the Latin name of its genus, Phragmites. If so, you probably also know that it’s considered an undesirable, invasive species scorned for crowding out native wetland plants. It grows well on disturbed soils, such as the waterfront edges of constructed sites like bridge crossings, laying down dense, tangled root mats and quickly developing thickets of tough, pale green stalks.

Although there is only one species, Phragmites australis, two subspecies live around the Chesapeake. Phragmites australis americanus is native, but here it lives only along rivers on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The much more widespread subspecies, Phragmites australis australis, apparently turned up here late in the nineteenth century and took off. Today, conventional wisdom dictates removing it, but doing so turns out to be a difficult, expensive challenge. That challenge poses a serious question about what we are trying to accomplish when we talk about restoring the Chesapeake.

 

One time years ago, I asked a friend who was acting in a play at Hanover (VA) Tavern what he would “go back to” after the play completed its run. “I won’t go back,” he responded, “I’ll go on to something else.” That pretty much sums up our Chesapeake restoration efforts. We can’t ever go back to the Bay ecosystem that existed when the Jamestown colonists landed in 1607. About 50,000 people lived in the Chesapeake watershed then. We are 19 million now, and climbing, along with the ecological changes that we continue to create in the water, on the land, and in the air.

The most obvious water quality improvements we have made in the past fifty years have been with increasingly sophisticated treatment of “point source pollution” (pipe outflows), especially our sewage wastewater. That engineering has brought rivers near population centers back from the dead, including the Potomac River around Washington, DC and the James below Richmond. They are healthier today than they have been since 1870. The greater challenge, though, is more widespread and less readily controlled: rainwater runoff from land that we have modified from 1607’s old-growth forests, especially including along the shorelines of our vast network of waterways. Engineering offers some solutions here, but often they work best when carefully, artfully integrated with natural processes.

Such integration requires deep searches for, and attention to scientific details, as well as the enduring lesson that anyone looking for simple answers has come to the wrong estuary. It goes ‘way beyond blanket statements, like “Eradicate all Phragmites.” In that vein, a new study from Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources breaks down the pluses and minuses of ecosystem services provided or taken away by stands of Phragmites as opposed to native wetland plant communities.

Using cost/benefit analysis, the scientists carefully went through and compared studies from existing research of wetland community performance in the categories of carbon sequestration, nitrogen removal, and wildlife habitat. They contrasted data from natural brackish high marshes with those from stands of Phragmites australis australis. If you read the study, you’ll find that the data together provide ranges of performance, but there are clear trends. Phragmites stands tend to deliver greater carbon sequestration, while native high marshes provide greater nitrogen removal and offer better, more diverse wildlife habitat. On average, the introduced and native communities offer similar ecosystem service values, though under optimal conditions, native marsh communities are more valuable.

 

The catch comes when looking at the Chesapeake’s wetlands as they are, in June of 2026, with many, many stands of Phragmites well established all over the Bay ecosystem, and considering the high cost of eradicating the plants, which require repeated manual, year-on-year applications of herbicide. The big reed is here to stay in today’s Chesapeake, and it does offer valuable ecological benefits, especially in carbon sequestration. Those considerations bring to mind the first maxim attributed to Hippocrates: “First, Do No Harm.” As the study’s authors conclude, “it is not a net economic benefit to control for Phragmites, unless the cost is low to moderate and the benefit is high, i.e., the system can maintain or return to optimal wildlife habitat…we recommend that landscape factors and management goals be considered when making these decisions for marshes in the Chesapeake Bay Region.”

In other words, Phragmites appears to have some useful roles in the Bay and rivers of the future. One more time, there are no simple answers here, but there is fresh Chesapeake information to guide careful thinking about “going on to something else.”

I agree. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Rebel Yell up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

MD Has a New Plan for Blue Catfish

 WBOC, Maryland law expands blue catfish removal efforts, gill nets.

A Maryland law aimed at reducing invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay has been signed by Governor Wes Moore after passing both the state House and Senate.

The measure, Senate Bill 610, creates a gill net program allowing licensed watermen to use specialized nets designed to more efficiently target blue catfish. Supporters say the approach is intended to increase harvests of the invasive species, which has spread throughout the Bay and its tributaries.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation says the method must be carefully managed. The group told WBOC in part, quote, “...gill nets can often unintentionally trap and kill other native species like striped bass and endangered Atlantic sturgeon. Any expanded use of gill nets must be closely monitored and controlled to limit impacts to other species.”

Waterman Grant Usilton says the change could provide a more effective tool on the water.  “It can definitely help, I mean it can't hurt,” Usilton said. Jordan Graves, who is also a waterman, echoed this message. “To me it just seems like more of an efficient way to catch them,” Graves said.

Talbot Watermen Association President Jeff Harrison said the program could help support the industry during slower seasons. “I hope that it gets signed into law and I hope it helps, to expand that industry," Harrison told WBOC. "Like I say, in the winter time instead of, worrying about market for your oysters, you can always get some gillnets and go up and catch some blue catfish."

The law is now in effect as Maryland expands efforts to manage the invasive species while supporting commercial harvesting opportunities.

I don't care how many Blue Cats they catch, but I do worry about by the bycatch.  

The Wombat has Rule Five Sunday: More Hot Girls & Hot Cars up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Katfish for Kiddos?

WBAL TV, Maryland schools partner with Bay2Tray to serve blue catfish in effort to help Chesapeake Bay

A new lunch menu item in Cecil County Public Schools helps control an invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay.

Cecil County Public Schools staff began serving blue catfish sandwiches in mid-February. At Cherry Hill Middle School, the sandwiches are called catty patties, a play on Crabby Patties from SpongeBob.

"The catty patty is actually really good, said Grayson Jezyk, a sixth-grade student at the school. "I like it a lot."

"It tastes very similar to a crab cake," said Chrisanna Teahl, another sixth-grade student.

 

The school's kitchen manager said the catty patties have been a hit among many students.

"It was very popular," the kitchen manager said. "The kids that like it really like it."

The initiative is part of the Bay2Tray program, which started 12 years ago in California as an initiative through Real Good Fish.

Real Good Fish sources sustainable seafood directly from fishermen. The Maryland Department of Agriculture partnered with the program to get blue catfish on the menu at more schools along the East Coast. It's part of an effort to control the population in the Chesapeake Bay.

Blue Catfish are, indeed, a mild, white and flaky fine tasting fish. I'm still shocked that sixth graders would welcome fish for lunch.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Blue Catfish Too Good for Dog Food

According to Maryland seafood processors. From the Balmer Sun, Blue catfish bill sparks backlash from Maryland seafood processors

Two Maryland seafood processors said there’s a delicate balancing act in controlling invasive species like blue catfish, and that proposed legislation threatens that balance. They also described what’s been a brutal stretch as bad weather, poor market conditions and new regulations threaten the livelihood of one of the state’s oldest industries.

Amanda Williams of BSA Seafood in Grasonville and Patrick Welsh Jr. of Reliant Fish Company in Jessup were part of a coalition this week that opposed federal legislation linking invasive blue catfish — a species that environmental and agricultural officials say feasts on blue crabs, rockfish and oysters — to pet food processors.

 

U.S. Rep. Sarah Elfreth, who introduced the Mitigation Action and Watermen Support Act of 2026, or MAWS Act, said there’s “a mutual interest in getting invasive blue catfish out of the Bay.” “That is why for well over a year, my team and I have had meaningful and productive conversations with stakeholders, including over a dozen meetings and calls with seafood processors from across the watershed, to shape this bipartisan legislation into what it is today, with substantial changes over time responsive to the feedback from every corner of this industry,” Elfreth said in a statement to The Baltimore Sun.

Williams said the legislation is well-intentioned, but misses the mark. “We’ve spent years marketing blue catfish as a premium seafood product, and framing it as a pet food ingredient undercuts all of that work,” she said. “We’re also already sending our processing byproduct to a facility that handles rendering, so the idea of bringing in an outside recipient selected subsidized by the government to pay above-market prices for whole fish isn’t innovation, it’s market distortion that puts small processors like us at a real disadvantage.”

 

She said seafood processors feel like they were left out of key discussions. “We want invasive blue catfish out of the bay as much as anyone — but the path forward needs to work with this industry, not against it,” she said.

Welsh said the MAWS Act leapfrogs the market to pay the fishing industry, but leaves seafood processors behind. “The dogfood people are already getting product from us, so what sense does it make? All you’re gonna do is take that product away from us if the fishermen go directly to the dogfood processors,” he said.

Welsh described a delicate balancing act in fishing what’s essentially become an invasive species. “You want sustainability in that we want this thing to continue. We want to manage it. We want to control it as best we can, so you don’t eradicate it,” he said. He said getting rid of the species entirely would hurt the processing industry, the fishing industry and consumers.

So, now, the goal has shifted to managing Blue Cats as a resource. That's probably for the best; there is effectively zero chance that any control efforts will actually eliminate them from the system; at best we might control the population and mitigate the amount of gamefish and gamefish food they consume.

As for the charge that using them as pet food will somehow degrade the brand, and cause them to be less sought for human use, I ain't worried. Most of our pet food is made from meat that is also used for human consumption, beef, pork, turkey, lamb, tuna, and so on. I\m not turning down a nice piece of Ahi because tuna get used in catfood. There's still plenty Blue Cats to supply both supermarkets and pet food processors. We simply need high enough prices to support the fishery. We can worry about depleting the Chesapeake Bay system of them until we see evidence of a shortage.

FWIW, wild caught Chesapeake Blue Catfish are excellent table fare.

Maryland, My Maryland

From the Baynet, Maryland Tightens Regulations on Invasive Plants As New Rules Take Effect

Maryland officials moved forward this week with expanded restrictions on the sale and possession of invasive plant species under updated regulations that took effect Jan. 15, 2026.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture has revised and expanded its Prohibited Invasive Plant List, adding multiple nonnative species determined to pose a threat to native ecosystems. The changes stem from a statewide overhaul of how invasive plants are evaluated and regulated, replacing older classifications with a science-based assessment process.

Plants placed on the prohibited list may no longer be sold or acquired in Maryland after their effective dates. To reduce economic disruption, the state is allowing phase-out periods for existing inventory — one year for potted plants and two years for in-ground plantings — before full removal is required.

Officials say invasive plants can spread aggressively, displacing native vegetation, altering wildlife habitat and increasing long-term management costs for landowners and local governments. The updated regulations are intended to slow that spread while encouraging the use of native and noninvasive alternatives.

Nurseries, garden centers and landscapers have been preparing for the changes since the regulations were finalized, adjusting inventories and educating customers ahead of the January 2026 effective dates.

We have had a few of these in the garden. Our Wisteria didn't make it, but the Nandinas were indeed, invasive, spreading into the woods, and the Privet hedge was obnoxious enough that we had to put it down, which took some effort, beyond the chain saw. I collected both Blue Flag and Yellow Flag Iris from wild patches, before I knew the Yellow one was non-native. They worked well in the pond, and a few seeds sprouted in the garden, but in the long run didn't make it in garden because it was too dry.

 

Probably Not

VIMS wonders Can Virginia stop the blue catfish? New research shows the Chesapeake Bay’s top invader is hard to control

For decades, the Chesapeake Bay’s rivers and tributaries have been home to a troublesome guest whose presence continues to ripple through the ecosystem. The blue catfish — first introduced in the 1970s for recreational fishing — has since become an ecologically disruptive force in Virginia waters. In response, scientists at William & Mary's Batten School & VIMS are making critical discoveries about blue catfish biology, impact and commercial market potential, and playing a key role in advising how the commonwealth can address the challenge. 

Through the long-running juvenile finfish trawl survey, Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS Professor Mary Fabrizio, along with her students and colleagues, has documented both the spread of blue catfish and the corresponding decline of native species. “As the blue catfish population started to increase in our tributaries, we saw a decline in the native white catfish and white perch, which is likely due to predation or competition for resources,” she said. “And some of our colleagues in Maryland have evidence suggesting the blue catfish may be impacting striped bass, likely predating on the eggs and the juveniles.” 

The Blue Catfish problem in Chesapeake stems from the State of Virginia stocking them into the James and Rappahannock Rivers as a game fish. 

According to Fabrizio, another icon of the Chesapeake Bay may also be threatened: “The other effect is that blue catfish, especially the medium sized fish, are preying on blue crabs. And because there are so many medium sized blue catfish, that translates into a lot of removals. They’re eating a lot of blue crabs.”

To investigate that interaction, Fabrizio recently led a two-year diet study, published in Marine and Coastal Fisheries, which quantified blue catfish predation on blue crabs. “We worked with a commercial waterman who was setting gillnets out in the James River. He would bring back the catch, and we would examine the stomach contents,” she said. “We looked at predation year-round, which hadn’t been done before.”

The results were sobering: “It turns out blue catfish are eating the same things in winter as in spring and fall, so there’s blue crab predation happening year-round,” said Fabrizio. Stomach content analysis also showed that blue catfish are specifically targeting juvenile crabs. “Older, larger crabs may be too feisty and fight back, or perhaps they’re faster and able to escape. Either way,” she said, “blue catfish are eating the juvenile crabs that Virginia counts on to sustain the future blue crab population.”

At his retirement party from SERC a couple of weeks ago, I asked Mr. Crab himself, Tuck Hines, former director, if he thought Blue Catfish were part of the current problem with Blue Crabs. He told me almost assuredly yes, and that he and collaborators have a paper coming out soon to that effect. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: In Honor Of Alice Cooper available for browsing at the usual place and time.

Palm Sunday

With Stefani Somers:

ABC, Decades-old palm trees in Rio de Janeiro flower for the first — and only — time

Towering talipot palms in a Rio de Janeiro park are flowering for the first and only time in their lives, decades after famed Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx introduced them in the 1960s. Towards the end of its life — which can span between 40 and 80 years — the palm tree sends up a central plume crowded with millions of small, creamy-white blossoms that rise high above its fan-shaped leaves.

The rare phenomenon that ties past to present has sparked the curiosity of passersby in Flamengo Park who stop, crane their necks to admire them and take photos. Vinicius Vanni, a 42-year-old civil engineer, was even hoping to collect seedlings and plant them. “I probably won’t see them flower, but they’ll be there for future generations,” he said from Flamengo Park, which hugs a nearby beach and offers a spectacular view of Sugarloaf Mountain.

Originating from southern India and Sri Lanka, the talipot palm can reach up to 30 meters (98 feet) in height and produce around 25 million flowers when it blossoms, using energy accumulated over decades. If the flowers are pollinated, they produce fruits that can become seedlings.

In addition to Flamengo Park, the talipot palms can be found in Rio’s Botanical Garden, where they are also flowering. That’s because they were brought across from southern Asia together, have the same metabolism and have been exposed to the same Brazilian rhythm of daylight, according to Aline Saavedra, a biologist at Rio de Janeiro State University. Saavedra said that environmental laws strictly regulate transporting species native from another continent, although talipot palms are not invasive due to their slow development.

Linked at The Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: More Like Sparking Ramp, Amirite? online and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Eat 'Em

Or at least pay for the poor to get them free. MD Dept Agr, Maryland Department of Agriculture Awards Funding to Food Banks for Blue Catfish Purchases

“This initiative will help feed our neighbors in need, support seafood processors and watermen, and help remove this non-native but tasty species from the Chesapeake and its tributaries,” said Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Atticks. “We are thrilled to once again partner with USDA on this initiative as an important tool in addressing hunger and supporting our rural maritime communities.”

“Blue catfish is a win-win for the Maryland Food Bank—we are supporting local businesses and helping to combat an invasive species in the Bay, while also providing a nutritious source of protein to neighbors facing food insecurity,” said Meg Kimmel, President and CEO of the Maryland Food Bank. “We are excited to continue our strong partnership with the Maryland Department of Agriculture.”

From December 2025 to December 2026, blue catfish fillets will be distributed through Maryland food banks. The program will allocate funds as follows: the Maryland Food Bank will receive $1,384,803, the Capital Area Food Bank will receive $499,693, and the Western Maryland Food Bank will receive $53,617.

“We’re grateful for our enduring partnership with the Maryland Department of Agriculture. This investment, especially now, helps us provide a locally-sourced, nourishing protein in high demand to our Maryland neighbors in need,” said Radha Muthiah, President and CEO of Capital Area Food Bank.

“The Western Maryland Food Bank is grateful to be included in this partnership,” said Amy Moyer, Executive Director of the Western Maryland Food Bank. “We appreciate the Maryland Department of Agriculture bringing a greatly needed protein to the food insecure in Allegany and Garrett Counties. It is great to work together for Marylanders.”

I hope it works out, but I suspect many of the people they hope to help won't pick catfish as their source of protein; I would guess many of the intended recipients have no clue what to do with. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Young Girls & Old Trucks garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Virginia To Lift Blue Catfish Limits, Flatheads Feed on Pennsylvania Fish

WHRO, Virginia may soon lift restrictions on catching invasive blue catfish. I don't know why they haven't already. 

The invasive species has spent the past five decades working its way into almost every local waterway and threatens to upend the ecosystem. Virginia officials are weighing a new way to cut down on the population by letting anglers go after them. The Virginia Board of Wildlife Resources will soon decide whether to remove the recreational catch limit on blue catfish. The change would apply to the Rappahannock and York rivers, as well as portions of the James below the freshwater-saltwater transition zone.

Blue catfish, which are native to the Gulf coast and central U.S., were originally brought to Virginia by the same agency now trying to reduce the population. The Department of Wildlife Resources introduced the species into the James and Rappahannock rivers in 1974, followed by additional stockings in the York. The goal at the time was to create a “recreational trophy fishery” to support anglers as the striped bass population was crashing coastwide, DWR states on its website.

Once established, blue catfish exploded in Virginia, preying on native critters such as blue crabs. “Things went a little haywire,” said Chris Moore, Virginia executive director with the nonprofit Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “We're in a situation now where they really don't have a lot of predators except for themselves, and they have just expanded exponentially.” Virginia Commonwealth University estimated that blue catfish now account for up to 75% of the total weight of fish in some local rivers. “Having a single species representing that much biomass is not a great thing,” Moore said.

Pop Sci,  Monster catfish and its creepy smile invade PA rivers

Flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) may look like they are perpetually smiling, but these five foot-long fish are no laughing matter in regions where they do not belong. The opportunistic predators are now one of the top predators in Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna River, creating a major threat to the local food web. Without any natural predators to keep them in check, these enormous fish can alter a river system in only a matter of years.

Flathead catfish are native to several parts of the United States, including the Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, and Rio Grande river basins. They are most recognizable by their broad flat head (as the name suggests) and lower jaw. It also sports a distinctive tail fin outline that is square or slightly notched. They are also really big. They can grow up to 60 inches long and weigh roughly 30 pounds on average. Some have even been known to tip the scales at over 100 pounds. According to Pennsylvania Sea Grant, their coloration can vary, but most adults have an olive-colored back and sides with dark brown to yellow-brown mottling.

One thing that separates them from other catfish species is their diet. They are considered obligate carnivores and primarily prey on live fish.

 

While flathead catfish are native to western Pennsylvania, the first report of the species in the Delaware River basin further east was from Blue Marsh Reservoir and in the Susquehanna during the 1990s. Since then, they have continued to spread throughout regions of the Delaware, Schuylkill, and Susquehanna rivers.

“Flatheads grow fast in this river system, attain large body sizes and can eat a variety of prey,” Olivia Hodgson, a master’s student at Penn State University, said in a statement. “Because adult flatheads have few natural predators, flathead catfish can exert strong control over the ecosystem.”

Hodgson is the co-author of a study recently published in the journal Ecology, which found that the flathead catfish are now considered apex predators. They are higher on the food web than resident top predators like the channel catfish and smallmouth bass. Since the channel catfish now have a lower position in areas where the flathead catfish are present, they have to eat lower on the food web. In areas with flathead catfish all species showed broader and overlapping diets, according to the study.

“This suggests that resident species are changing what they eat to avoid competing with or being eaten by the invader,” Hodgson said.

Put a bounty on both of them. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Fall Colors up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Possible Use Found for the Spotted Lanternfly

Their poop make passible honey: A possible use for invasive spotted lanternflies? Food for bees, Ohio expert says

Dr. Tracy Farone is a professor of biology at Grove City College who recently earned a certification in honey bee medicine (Cert HbV) from the Honey Bee Veterinary Consortium. She’s a beekeeper herself and has noticed an interesting dynamic between honey bees and spotted lanternflies.

“With the lantern flies coming in and presenting themselves in big numbers, the honeybees are attracted to this, and they’re picking it up and they’re incorporating it in their honey,” Farone said.

What attracts the bees to the lanternflies is their “honeydew,” a polite term for their excrement, a sweet liquid containing the lanternfly’s waste. That liquid will accumulate on surfaces below where they feed, like on trees and leaves, which can lead to the growth of sooty mold.

“So the good thing about the lanternflies is they’re providing an extra source for the honey bees that they wouldn’t necessarily have,” Farone explained. “Sometimes, fall can be pretty scarce if it’s dry, particularly this year. So in some ways it gives the honeybee something to do, and something to collect, and something to replace the nectar that might be lost in a drought so that they can have stores for the winter.”

But using that honeydew in place of nectar from flowers does impact the honey produced by the bees, both in flavor and color. One local beekeeper who tasted honey made with that honeydew described the taste as “almost smoky.” It has also been described as having a smoky odor, according to PennState Extension, and is not as sweet as other kinds of honey.

For some, there may appear to be a lingering aftertaste to honey made with the help of lanternfly honeydew, but people have eaten it “with no ill effects,” Shannon Powers, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, previously told Nexstar.

“There’s different honeys from different flowers, different times of the year, different locations around the world. And you can have honeys that are clear in color to almost black in color, and then all the colors in between … and the flavors will be very different depending on [the sources],” Farone said. “So this is a new thing.”

Farone said it can be looked at from two perspectives: “tainted” lanternfly honey, or perhaps a marketing opportunity for a new type of honey.

Recent distribution of Spotted Lanternfly infestations

"Eaten it with no ill effects" is not exactly high praise. 

Reportedly, Spotted Lanternflies have been found in Calvert County, but I haven't seen one yet. But it seems like it's only a matter of time. Maybe we can convince liberals that they're the bug they're meant to eat.

Flathead Cats Claim Top Spot at Bottom of Susquehanna River

The York Daily Record, Flathead catfish becomes top predator of the Susquehanna River, eating fish 20 inches long

In less than 25 years, an invasive fish has become the apex predator of the Susquehanna River in eastern Pennsylvania.

Flathead catfish have been flourishing in the river since 2002, growing to 30 to 40 pounds, with some reaching more than 60.

“Anytime we have a move or change in the dynamics of the system, it’s not a positive thing,” Geoffrey Smith, warmwater Unit Leader for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, said.

“Now, for anglers who enjoy fishing for them, there’s some positivity to it, but from an ecological standpoint, it is not a positive thing,” he said in a telephone interview

 

Smith was involved in a study with Penn State and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to assess how flatheads are affecting the food web and energy flow in the Susquehanna River in eastern Pennsylvania. 

Smith said flatheads were first found in the river drainage in 1991 but then weren’t seen again until one popped up in the Susquehanna River below Safe Harbor Dam in the Lancaster and York counties area in 2002.

 

Regarding the study’s findings, Smith said, they are looking at how flatheads are changing the waterways and the food web itself.

They've also become a problem in the Upper Chesapeake Bay, as well as the Potomac, James and New River systems, although Blue Catfish get bigger, and seem more abundant in the brackish regions and get more attention.

I have no personal experience, but MDDNR claims they are good eating. Certainly, the blue cats are. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Terrain Features up on time and under budget.

Maryland Legislators Getting Ready for the Next Round of Bay Dieting

CBS News Maryland lawmakers urge clear timelines, community oversight in updated Chesapeake Bay restoration plan

A group of Congressmembers representing the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Region is calling for a new agreement to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay and the rivers and streams throughout its watershed.

On Thursday, Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, along with 22 other bipartisan Members of Congress, pushed for a new Chesapeake Bay agreement that "sets ambitious, measurable, and achievable targets, especially for water quality improvement and pollution reduction, in order to restore and protect the Bay," according to a press release.

In a letter written to the Chesapeake Executive Council (CEC), lawmakers addressed the numerous problems the Bay faces, including:

• Falling populations of key fish and wildlife species
• Emerging pollutants of concern
• Agricultural land and forest depletion
• Shifting environmental dynamics
• And the prevalence of invasive species

"While federal resources will continue to play an essential role in achieving our vision of a healthy Bay, we know that we cannot arrive at our many goals through such funding alone," the letter said. "A robust Watershed Agreement that sets measurable targets that are both ambitious and achievable is key to unlocking the full potential of federal support for the Bay and its watershed. Therefore, we are closely monitoring the PSC's work to update the agreement to meet current and future challenges."

A good start, but I suspect when they get in the back room to actually set the goals, every interest group will be pushing for more than is reasonable. 

USDA Joins Blue Catfish Fight

Sauron's Eye, USDA announces $8 million initiative to combat invasive blue catfish in Chesapeake Bay

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday announced an $8 million initiative to control the spread of invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay. The initiative includes $6 million in grant funding through the USDA's Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program. The grants are available to seafood processors to modernize facilities, expand operations and support the commercial processing of invasive catfish, turning them into products such as animal feed. An additional $2 million will go toward purchasing Chesapeake Bay blue catfish through a one-year pilot program.

 

Grant awards will range from $250,000 to $1 million. Applicants must contribute at least 50 percent of their project's total cost. Applications are due via Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Oct. 6.

In a written statement, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins called the the project an all-around win. "A win for our rural communities who now have a new processing facility that will support good-paying jobs, a win for our fishermen who are ridding the Chesapeake of a destructive invasive species, and a win for our local communities who have another source of protein for the charitable feeding network,"

 

The MAWS Act of 2025, introduced by Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-MD), proposes a three-year, $6 million federal pilot program that would incentivize the commercial purchase of invasive blue catfish. Congress would provide $2 million per year to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) between 2027 and 2029 under the bill. Then, those funds would be given to pet food manufacturers, animal feed producers, and aquaculture feed companies to purchase blue catfish from fishermen and seafood processors.

It seems they finally realized there is not enough interest in eating catfish for people to eat all the Blue and Flathead Catfish in the Bay.  That's too bad, because they are very good eating, and easy to catch.

The Wombat has posted Rule 5 Sunday: Karin Hart at the usual time and place.