New legislation to tackle invasive catfish in Chesapeake Bay

Annapolis, Md. – A new program is in the works to get rid of an invasive species threatening the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

“A bill in particular that I sponsor that dealt with, the waterways and making sure that the watermen can continue to address the issues with the catfish invasion and to be able to still keep the the economic engine moving there,” Sample-Hughes said in an interview with WMDT.

Maryland Delegate Sheree Sample-Hughes, alongside other Eastern Shore delegates Tom Hutchinson and Wayne Hartman, are sponsoring a bill to get rid of the invasive Blue Catfish.

House Bill 947 would include any programs the Department of Natural Resources considers effective in stopping the spread of the blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay to the “Invasive Blue Catfish Pilot Program.” Beginning this year, the bill would also require the DNR to update certain committees of the General Assembly on findings and recommendations related to the program.

The program is designed to curb the Blue Catfish population. According to the Chesapeake Bay Program, the Blue and Flathead Catfish pose serious threats to the Chesapeake’s ecological system. The fish, introduced to Virginia in the 1970s are originally from the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio river basins. According to the program, they are “voracious predators that outcompete other fish and consume ecologically and economically important species.”

HB 947 passed in the House and its second reading in the Senate. The bill was also cross filed with Senate Bill 610, which also passed a second reading in the House.