WASHINGTON D.C., DC —
What’s slimy, invasive, and can win you a prize if you catch it?
If you answered "Blue Catfish", you would be right!
The blue catfish was originally introduced in Virginia waters over 40 years ago. The plan was to provide more recreational fishing opportunities for anglers, but things would take a turn for the worse. These catfish spread like wildfire all throughout the Chesapeake watershed. They quickly adapted to the different environments in the Potomac River and started to negatively impact the native fish populations.
Dillon Waters from D.C. Fisheries explains some of those impacts, saying, "We're going to see those populations decline, which in turn is going to create less recreational fishing opportunities for anglers. It's going to negatively impact commercial fish markets. So, fish like white perch, striped bass... commercially, you might see those prices increases.”
But there is some good news! The Maryland Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) has organized a competition that encourages anglers to eliminate invasive species. David Sikorski with Maryland CCA explains more saying, “We have The Great Chesapeake Invasives Count, which started during COVID as an effort to get people out fishing, having fun, getting outside, but also capturing data for the fishery managers as this invasive species continues to grow in population and spread out through watershed.”
It's incredibly easy to join the competition. You can access everything you need to sign up, including getting your fishing license, right on your cellphone. Once you’ve joined the competition on the Maryland CCA website just download the iAngler Tournament app and submit pictures of your catch.
“The app collects the pictures and asks you a series of questions with each submittal of the fish you catch. Every fish you turn in is a chance to win a prize. And there's monthly prizes and they're all drawn with in partnership with FishTalk magazine, which is a monthly live stream the 1st Thursday of each month. So folks can follow along, see their name get drawn and they'll get prizes. Things like sunglasses and coolers and fishing tackle and lots of different fishing related items that are our partners and friends in the industry support,” says Sikorski.
The Great Chesapeake Invasives Count runs all year long, so you have plenty of time to get out on the water, cast a line, and help the environment.