WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WFXR) – If you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em!
When it comes to blue catfish management, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) fisheries biologists are hoping for a little help from the rest of us.
As?
They want us to harvest and eat blue catfish.
When Virginia.gov/wildlife/information/blue-catfish/”>blue cats were stocked in the James River five decades ago, it was thought that they would be confined to the current, that salinity in downstream areas was too high for the fish to advance beyond the James River. It turns out that blue catfish have a greater tolerance for brackish water than previously thought. Now, they are established in all Virginia tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay.
It’s been a mixed blessing. Blue catfish are the target of a trophy fishing industry that generates millions of dollars in economic impact for areas along the streams. However, the biomass of the blue cat is expanding and having a detrimental effect on native species and the ecosystem.
This means DWR biologists must strike a balance in management: They must preserve the economically important trophy fishery while reducing the number of smaller fish to control biomass.
“Increasing recreational harvest is really important to reduce those numbers and reduce the negative effects on our native and commercially important fish,” said Margi Whitmore, DWR tidal fisheries biologist.
That’s why the DWR recently hosted a Blue Catfish Catch and Cook Clinic at the Chickahominy Riverfront Park dock in Williamsburg. The clinic showed fishermen which blue cats were best to catch and how to fish, clean and cook them.
“Fifteen to 25-inch fish are really good to eat,” said DWR Aquatic Education Coordinator Alex McCrickard.
Those smaller fish are targeted and can be eaten. There is a health advisory that applies to larger blue catfish and it is recommended that you do not eat any over 32 inches in length.
Patricia Clement, is a content creator and social media influencer known as “The Rivah Sistah.” She was on hand to show fishermen some of her favorite ways to process and cook blue catfish.
After demonstrating some basic fillet techniques, he showed the people in the class how he likes to egg and bread the fish.
“I add a little mustard to some beaten eggs and cover the fish,” Clement said.
He then placed the fish in a commercial breading mix and dipped it in hot peanut oil.
A few minutes later, he pulled out the crispy golden fillets.
In addition to frying, Clement also demonstrated how to blacken the steaks.
Blue catfish are relatively easy to catch. A basic bottom rig baited with cut bait fished in Virginia’s tidal rivers will catch fish. And they are versatile as table food; Various techniques can be used to cook and enjoy them.
“They’re a really good eating fish, they don’t taste muddy or very fishy, and they work in a lot of different dishes, they’re really versatile,” Whitmore said.
“They’re really good to eat,” McCrickard added. “I like to batter them, fry them, make fish tacos. They’re really good when they’re blackened.”
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