A version of this article was originally published by Gravy and the Southern Foodways Alliance. Gravy: Stories of a changing American South is available on all podcast platforms.
Over the last decade, invasive blue catfish have outcompeted nearly every native fish and shellfish in the
Chesapeake Bay, putting generational watermen and fishmongers out of business. But if managed correctly, researchers from Virginia Tech’s Seafood and Agricultural Research & Extension Center in Hampton believe this invasive fish could spur a lucrative new commercial fishery with an annual economic impact of over $1 billion…