WICOMICO COUNTY, MD -- A new video shows hundreds of blue catfish gathering in a section of the Wicomico River, bringing light to an ongoing issue crabbers and fisherman say is only getting worse.
Larry Tawes Jr., a longtime fisherman on the shore, recorded the video and posted it to his Facebook page on Wednesday. Tawes says he often sees 400 to 500 blue catfish in a single night. Some might say it's a fisherman's dream, but Tawes says it's a nightmare.
"They're very overpopulated right now and we need to do something about it," says Tawes. "The crabbers are struggling, the rock fishermen are struggling, because there's no little fish."
The fish are known to reach up to more than 80 pounds and prey on blue crabs, rockfish, and other important species. Tawes says some crabbers and fishermen are losing their jobs because there simply aren't enough left to keep them afloat.
"It's sad, because I've seen them do so well in the crabbing industry and it's something they'll never pass down to their children," says Tawes.
Branson Williams with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources says he shares Tawes' concerns. He says there is no quick solution, but the department is focused on encouraging people to catch blue catfish commercially and recreationally.
"They taste good, they're abundant, they're easy to catch and honestly, it helps the watershed the more we remove, so a big part of what we're doing is promoting harvest," says Williams.
Tawes says many people don't like catfishing because it is such an easy fish to catch. He suggests a different solution.
"Some of the gillnetters are struggling right now," Tawes. "You could put him to work. And if you didn't sell them, do other things with them. Fertilizer for the farmers, do something."
