Oregon Angler Catches Maryland State Record Catfish

Fish tagged and released for study on invasive species

Fort Washington, Md. (September 5, 2012) ─  Ed Jones from Aloha, Oregon caught a Maryland record blue catfish ─ weighing 84 pounds and measuring 52 inches long, with a girth of 36.5 inches ─ on August 13 in the Potomac River near Fort Washington. Jones and his guide, Captain Josh Fitchett of Montpelier, Va., kept the fish alive and took it into Fort Washington Marina to have it weighed and certified by a Maryland Department of Natural Resource (DNR) Fisheries Service biologist.

The previous Maryland blue catfish record was an 80-pound, 12-ounce fish caught in February by Shawn Wetzel of Orrtanna, Pa., near where Jones caught his record fish.

As part of a cooperative study by Maryland and Virginia fisheries biologists, DNR biologists tagged the fish before Jones and Fitchett returned the fish alive into the Potomac near where they caught it. Anglers who catch and report a tagged catfish will receive a commemorative Catfish Program hat and pin, while helping study distribution of catfish in area waters. Anglers must call the number on the yellow or green tags, 301-888-2423, to receive the reward.

Blue catfish are native to the Mississippi Valley and were introduced to the James and Rappahannock Rivers in the 1970s. The fish have reproduced and spread throughout the tidal Potomac River system. Large flathead catfish, another non-native species, and blue catfish have subsequently turned up in Chesapeake Bay tributaries and waters including the Nanticoke, Susquehanna, Northeast, the Upper Chesapeake Bay and other waters. Blue catfish are long-lived, fast growing, opportunistic feeders. Their introduction can cause irreversible changes in the food web, which could negatively impact ecologically and economically important native fish species.

“While fisheries scientists and managers recognize the enthusiasm and economic impact of anglers in search of record catfish, we don’t want to encourage the development and spread of this species,” said DNR Fisheries Service Director Tom O’Connell. “As top predators, they are a serious threat to our native species.”

Anglers should know that it is illegal to transport live blue and flathead catfish for the purpose of introduction into another body of water. Additionally, DNR officials are asking anglers to remove and kill any blue and flathead catfish that they catch. This is a fishery where the practice of catch and release is discouraged by resource managers.

For information on invasive, non-native species and to see a list of species prohibited from transport, anglers may visit dnr.maryland.gov/invasives.

Anglers may stay up-to-date with regulatory proposals and other important DNR Fisheries topics by subscribing to the DNR Fisheries email list at dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/emailcontact.asp or connect with DNR fisheries on Twitter and Facebook through @MDDNRFISH and facebook.com/MDDNRFisheriesService.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages nearly one-half million acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 11 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov