Federal Aid Denied: Maryland’s Battle Against Blue Catfish Takes a Hit

January 6, 2024 Mid Atlantic

In the ongoing struggle to mitigate the impact of blue catfish on the Chesapeake Bay’s ecosystem, Governor Wes Moore’s proactive approach, from last year, faces a setback as the request for a fishery resource disaster declaration has been denied by the federal government. Blue catfish, a persistent problem in the Chesapeake Bay waterway for decades, pose a threat to the delicate balance of the ecosystem by preying on baby crabs, rockfish, and menhaden—integral components of the livelihood for commercial watermen. Maryland’s fishery revenue has already experienced a significant decline of 24%, falling short of the federal government’s required 35% decline to classify the invasive species as a disaster. Lynn Fegley, the Director of Fishing and Boating Services at Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR), warns of potential future impacts on commercial fisheries. Video, more, >>click to read<< 10:35

blue catfish, Chesapeake Bay, Commercial Watermen, disaster aid denied, Governor Wes Moore, Maryland, Maryland's Department of Natural Resources, Menhaden, preying on baby crabs, rockfish

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The New England groundfish debacle (Part III): who or what is at fault? Nils E. Stolpe/FishNet

It took me a while to decide how to most accurately describe the situation that has been visited upon the New England fishing communities that are and since colonial times have been dependent on the groundfish fisheries.

NILS STOLPE: The New England groundfish debacle (Part IV): Is cutting back harvest really the answer?

While it’s a fact that’s hardly ever acknowledged, the assumption in fisheries management is that if the population of a stock of fish isn’t at some arbitrary level, it’s because of too much fishing. Hence the term “overfished.” Hence the mandated knee jerk reaction of the fisheries managers to not enough fish; cut back on fishing. What of other factors? They don’t count. It’s all about fishing, because fishing is all that the managers can control; it’s their Maslow’s Hammer. When it comes to the oceans it seems as if it’s about all that the industry connected mega-foundations that support the anti-fishing ENGOs with hundreds of millions of dollars a year in “donations” are interested in controlling. Read the article here

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