Fishing’s Most Wanted: Catch & Eat These Tasty Invasives

July 11, 2024

Support sustainable native fisheries by targeting, removing, and cooking up these four delicious, invasive fish species

Many aquatic invasive species (AIS) are causing harm to American fisheries and affecting recreational fishing, from flora like hydrilla and hyacinth to fauna like zebra mussels and Asian carp. For this reason, TRCP and its partners convened an AIS commission in 2022. But not all AIS issues can be targeted by anglers, and fewer still are good to eat. We narrowed the list to TRCP’s top four AIS species for anglers because they are fun to catch and good to eat, and our fisheries benefit when we remove them.

If you decide to pursue any of these fish, search for the competitions set up to incentivize their removals. And even if you elect not to eat them, if you ever catch them in locations where they are considered problematic and are not protected, remember that it’s best to not return them to the water.

Northern Snakehead

Snakeheads can reach over 3 feet in length. Photo credit: Noah Bressman

Take some regular old freshwater fish and Frankenstein it – giving it the head and elongated body of a serpent, the teeth of a wolf, and the abilities to wriggle over land and survive out of water for more than a day – and you have yourself a northern snakehead. Native to China, Russia, and the Korean Peninsula, these bizarre, air-breathing fish probably became established in the U.S. after aquarium owners and others intentionally released unwanted specimens into local waterways. These aggressive top predators can outcompete native fish for food, with adults consuming smaller fish, crustaceans, reptiles, amphibians, and even some birds. Anglers prize them for their explosive strikes and delicious filets. While now established in the Mid-Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay regions, as well as in Arkansas (and recently spreading from there to the Mississippi River), they’ve also been detected in other states like California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, and North Carolina, but have no established populations there.

Size: Typically, mature specimens are in the 18- to 30-inch range, but can reach over 3 ft. in length and more than 20 lbs.
Where to Target: The Potomac River drainage and other portions of Virginia and Washington, D.C., as well as in Maryland; Arkansas, New York, and Pennsylvania also offer limited opportunities
How to Catch: Focus on slow-moving or stagnant freshwater streams, rivers, or ponds with aquatic vegetation present, and fish for them as you would for largemouth and smallmouth bass, using spinners, frogs, buzzbaits, bladed jigs, and topwater lures; bowfishing can also be used to harvest these fish
Best Times: Early April through early October; live bait can also be used for fishing during cooler fall and winter periods
How to Prepare: The snakehead’s mild, flaky-but-firm, low-fat flesh is versatile and ideal for pan-searing, grilling, frying, smoking, or stews, with little seasoning required; just be sure to remove the skin before cooking

Blue Catfish

While a native species in the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Rio Grande river basins, blue catfish were introduced in the Chesapeake Bay area in the 1970s. As an apex predator that can thrive even in brackish waters and grow to more than 100 pounds, their population eventually exploded and they are now wreaking havoc on local ecosystems by eating a wide range of important native species in the Bay region, including menhaden, herring, striped bass, and blue crabs. Blue catfish can be found even far up Nanticoke River tributaries in Delaware, and are present in many Southeastern states, where they are considered more naturalized and populations have not exploded like they have in the Mid-Atlantic. Even if blue cats are native where you live, they’re still worth targeting for their sheer potential size and deliciously mild, firm flesh. There’s so good to eat, in fact, that a commercial industry now targets them in the Chesapeake Bay region to supply local restaurants and markets.

Size: Up to more than 6 feet and 100+ lbs.; avoid eating fish over 30″ long
Where to Target: Freshwater and brackish Chesapeake Bay river systems and tributaries in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Delaware; click the state links to see fish consumption advisories to avoid eating these and other fish from areas with high contaminant levels in the water
How to Catch: Blue cats will eat anything, are fairly easy to catch, and a good choice for targeting with kids or inexperienced anglers, fishing near the bottom using fresh cut baits like shrimp, chicken liver, or fish, or live bait for larger catfish; trot lines can also be used if the goal is simply to catch as many fish as possible
Best Times: Can be fished year-round, with the spring months being particularly good; in the winter they are biting when not much else is, mainly in the warmer daytime periods; nighttime and low-light conditions are best in warmer summer months, and give anglers quarry to pursue to give striped bass a breather
How to Prepare: Blackened, pan-seared, deep fried, broiled or grilled (catfish filets hold up remarkably well on a grill); be sure to remove the skin before cooking

Lionfish

An attractive, audacious, and venomous marine species native to Indo-Pacific coral reefs, lionfish were first detected in U.S. waters off Florida roughly 40 years ago. It’s thought that people also inexplicably have released them from home aquariums into the Atlantic Ocean multiple times since. (A good reminder that people should never release any pets into the wild!) They have now unfortunately spread throughout the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean from New England to Texas and the Bahamas to the Greater Antilles. Their heaviest concentrations are in Florida, the Keys, and most Caribbean islands, with detections even having occurred in the saltwater portions of the Everglades – as if South Florida and the Everglades didn’t have enough invasive species problems to deal with already. Lionfish have become a serious problem because they gorge on dozens of species of juvenile reef fish that would ultimately grow to be bigger fish we like to catch. They can eat prey more than half their own length; have no real predators in the Western Hemisphere; and compete for food with important sportfish like snapper and grouper. Despite having venomous spines (which are painful, but not deadly), the flesh is perfectly safe to eat.

Size: Up to 15 inches or more and about 2.5 lbs.
Where to Target: Artificial or natural reefs and structure (the deeper, the better) off Florida and Alabama; internationally, in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Bahamas
How to Catch: Spearfishing (pole spears or Hawaiian slings) using scuba or snorkeling gear; they are surprisingly easy to harvest, due to a lack of predators that makes them unlikely to evade pursuit
Best Times: Any time of year, ideally near dawn and dusk
How to Prepare: They are in the same family as Pacific Coast rockfish, which are prized for their meat; their mild, buttery filets have been compared to grouper or mahi-mahi

Yellowstone Lake Trout

Angler with a Wyoming lake trout. Photo credit: Noah Bressman

Though most coveted trout species are actually considered invasive in at least parts of the U.S., they have long been established and often support economically important fisheries. However, some trout species in some areas are considered more destructive than valuable, so fisheries managers are working to eradicate them. The Yellowstone National Park region is home to non-native rainbows, browns, and brookies, but it’s the lake trout that are a problem. Both lake trout and native cutthroat trout are found in Yellowstone Lake, the largest high-elevation lake in North America, with lake trout both preying on and competing with cutthroats. A single lake trout can eat dozens of cutthroat trout every year, and this loss of the native fish is contributing to declines in many other wildlife species. In Yellowstone Lake, park regulations actually require anglers to keep or at least dispatch all lake trout they land. Added good news is that you’ll probably also be able to catch (and release) some big cutthroats when you’re out there.

Size: Around 20 inches typically, but up to 36 inches and nearly 40 pounds in this region
Where to Target: Yellowstone Lake, WY; noted spots include Carrington Island by boat or shore fishing in the Bridge Bay and West Thumb areas
How to Catch: Fly fishing by stripping a streamer with a baitfish pattern, or gear angling using deep-diving lures or vertical jigging in deeper water; guided fishing tours and boat rentals are available
Best Times: Legal in the park from Memorial Day weekend until early November, but fall is the best time, when lake trout move into the shallows to spawn
How to Prepare: High in healthy omega-3 fatty acids, they can be pan-fried or baked; they also cook nicely over an open fire in a grill basket (bring some butter and lemons)

What We’re Doing About AIS

TRCP recently worked with Yamaha Rightwaters, YETI, the American Sportfishing Association, Bass Pro Shops, and other partners on an AIS commission to address the need for better prevention and mitigation of aquatic invasive species. The commission’s final recommendations, finalized in 2023, included the need to modernize federal law and policy, increase targeted funding, maintain fishing access, and increase public education. See the full Aquatic Invasive Species Commission report here.

A special thanks to Noah Bressman, an assistant professor and AIS expert at Salisbury University, for helping confirm information for this blog, and for providing the snakehead photo in the banner image.

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by: Jaclyn Higgins

posted in: Recreational Fisheries

July 9, 2024

2024 Herring Stock Assessment Shows Continued Decline

The Atlantic herring stock is still overfished, and recent public scoping shows that a vast majority of stakeholders favor stricter management measures to support rebuilding

New England anglers out on the water this summer wondering when they’ll find that next big school of herring to use as bait to score a trophy bluefin or striper might want to stick with using menhaden instead. At the end of June, NOAA Fisheries published the 2024 stock assessment update for Atlantic herring, and unfortunately the results show that little progress has been made toward rebuilding a herring stock that has been in decline for many years. A good visual depiction of how the Atlantic herring population has been in decline for decades is the NOAA graph below, which charts how commercial landings have plummeted over the last six decades.

Image Credit: New England Fishery Management Council

This new stock assessment further validates the work the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and its partners have been doing to support a new amendment to the Atlantic Herring Management Plan – Amendment 10 – to address user conflicts with anglers, attain optimum yield in the fishery, improve herring’s conservation status, and ensure that access to a healthy herring population is available to all stakeholders.

Herring Population Well Below Target

The 2024 assessment, which incorporated updated catch data, survey information, and life history parameters through 2023, indicates that the Atlantic herring stock is still overfished, but overfishing is not occurring. This essentially means that the overall size of the herring population is still far below its target level, despite fishing pressure being low enough that the stock should be able to replenish itself naturally. The data showed that the adjusted spawning stock biomass (SSB) was approximately 48,000 metric tons, or just 26 percent of the biomass target. For reference, the previous stock assessment estimated the 2021 herring SSB at 39,000 metric tons, or 21 percent of the biomass target, compared to the early 2000s when the SSB was over 200,000 metric tons, or over 1 million metric tons in the late 1960s. That’s more than 20 times what we are seeing today.

The likelihood of Atlantic herring meeting the 2025 rebuilding target is less than 1 percent.

Thus, herring are experiencing chronic circumstances that prevent them from recruiting enough younger fish to rebuild their population to a sustainable level for a thriving Northern Atlantic ecosystem, much less a thriving directed fishery. The stock’s rebuilding projections remain uncertain according to the latest data, and the likelihood of meeting the 2025 rebuilding target is less than 1 percent.

Bluefin tuna, a popular offshore sportfish, chase herring both in the wild and as bait. (Photo credit: Time Flies Charters)

Advocacy Offers Hope

The recent assessment may sound bleak, but not all hope is lost. Since 2023, the TRCP and partners have been involved in moving Amendment 10 to the Atlantic Herring Management Plan forward with the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC). The amendment is intended to address potential management changes, such as spatial and temporal restrictions for the Atlantic herring trawl fleet, to minimize conflicts with recreational anglers, charters, and other stakeholders; contribute to optimum yield; and support rebuilding of the herring resource. The NEFMC will also take action through Amendment 10 to address incidental catch of river herring and shad by the herring trawl fleet to better support ongoing coastwide restoration efforts for these species.

Thank you to those of you who contributed during the public comment period for Amendment 10 scoping in March and April, via spoken comments at scoping hearings or written comments submitted online. A full summary of scoping comments can be found here, but highlights include:

More than 99 percent of respondents were in support of further management actions to defend herring and supported economies. Of 891 people who commented, 795 did so on behalf of themselves and/or businesses, and only 6 comments did not support Amendment 10 action.
The public’s preference for potential new management measures via Amendment 10 include spatial/temporal measures (such as buffer zone variations, time/area closures to reduce river herring and shad incidental catch, and herring spawning area protections), gear restrictions in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and increased observer coverage on commercial herring vessels.
Ideas for data sources that the NEFMC could use to develop alternative measures were provided by the public, which included data collected by local Tribes, mapping overlap analyses, public survey data, and Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data.

Countless blueback herring (seen here) and shad are inadvertently killed by Atlantic herring trawlers. (Photo credit: Connecticut DEEP Fisheries)

What’s Next?

Rest assured, the TRCP and partners will continue to advocate for Amendment 10 moving forward to develop management alternatives for the Atlantic herring fishery that adequately address ongoing user conflicts, decrease incidental catch of river herring and shad, and contribute to optimum yield of herring for all who want to access this vital public resource. Next steps for Atlantic herring management at the NEFMC include:

The NEFMC Atlantic Herring Plan Development Team (PDT) and Technical Committee will meet July 9 to discuss the stock assessment update.
The Scientific and Statistical Committee will meet July 30-31 to recommend overfishing limits and acceptable biological catch for the 2025-2027 fishing seasons, based on the stock assessment results.

Amendment 10 will be on hold while the NEFMC focuses on the above fishing season specification-setting process over the summer. In the fall and winter months, the PDT will begin to analyze available data and develop potential management alternatives for Amendment 10, which will be reviewed by the Council.

If you’d like to stay involved in the Amendment 10 process, please fill out this user conflict survey (and share with all your friends!) that will be submitted to the NEFMC to help identify areas of high conflict between the directed fishery and other users of the herring resource: https://tinyurl.com/atlantic-herring-survey

Banner image credit 16:9Clue

by: Dan Morgan

posted in: Recreational Fisheries

June 26, 2024

Hunters and Anglers Cheer House Introduction of the Bipartisan ACE Reauthorization Act

Lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill to boost funding and provide crucial enhancements to conservation programs benefiting fish and wildlife.

The America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Reauthorization Act of 2024 was introduced in the House on Friday June 21, 2024. The ACE Reauthorization Act is sponsored by Representatives Wittman (R-Va.), Kiggans (R- Va.), Dingell (D-Mich.), and Thompson (D-Calif.), and would reauthorize multiple programs that benefit hunting and angling including, the National Fish Habitat Partnership, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the Chesapeake Bay Program, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. This reauthorization provides technical improvements and administrative streamlining to improve these programs. It also helps address threats like chronic wasting disease.

Earlier this year in a bipartisan vote, the U.S. Senate passed companion legislation, that paved the way for legislation to be introduced in the House.

“The America’s Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act will benefit fish and wildlife while enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities for millions of hunters and anglers,” said Becky Humphries, CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, “TRCP applauds Representatives Wittman, Kiggans, Dingell, and Thompson for their leadership on this important bipartisan legislation and we look forward to building on the success of these crucial conservation programs through increased funding levels that will benefit our sporting traditions for years to come.”

The original ACE Act was passed in 2020 and sponsored by Representatives Wittman and Thompson. Many of its authorizations will expire in 2025, necessitating the passage of the ACE Reauthorization Act to ensure these vital conservation programs can continue to operate in good legal standing.

The legislation is endorsed by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Ducks Unlimited, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, the National Wildlife Federation, American Sportfishing Association, the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the National Audubon Society.

The TRCP looks forward to working with the House of Representatives to ensure that this essential legislation for hunters and anglers reflects the authorization increases in the Senate version and becomes law.

TRCP works to maintain and strengthen the future of hunting and fishing by uniting and amplifying our partners’ voices in conserving and restoring wildlife populations and their habitat as challenges continue to evolve.

Learn more about TRCP’s commitment to healthy habitat and clean water here.

Photo: James Wicks

by: Alex Funk

posted in: Recreational Fisheries

May 16, 2024

American Wetlands Month: Celebrating Progress and Addressing Challenges

TRCP is rallying support for policies to protect and restore wetlands and the role they play in sustaining fish and wildlife.

May is American Wetlands Month – a time to celebrate the vital role wetlands play in sustaining fish and wildlife and our hunting and fishing heritage. Wetlands are not just habitats for a wide range of fish and game species, ranging from cutthroat trout to white-tail deer, but they also provide a host of other benefits, including enhancing water quality and storing carbon, which are crucial for our environment’s health. Altogether, the conservation and restoration of wetlands plays a critical role in sustaining fish and wildlife habitat, and in-turn, hunting and fishing opportunities for future generations.

*Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service*

However, while the benefits of healthy wetlands may be clear to hunters and anglers, America’s wetlands are arguably more at risk than ever. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently released their national 2009-2019 Wetlands Status and Trends report, the sixth in a series of congressionally mandated reports evaluating current wetland health. The report found that net wetland loss increased over the past decade, with vegetated wetlands, like marshes and swamps, being disproportionately impacted. These wetlands are disappearing so quickly that 670,000 acres were lost between 2009 and 2019, an area about equal to the state of Rhode Island. On top of the report, we’re also quickly approaching the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA, which dealt a significant blow to Clean Water Act protections for wetlands and smaller streams.

Fortunately, the TRCP and our partners are working together to build support for federal and state policies designed to mitigate the impacts of the Sackett decision and reverse our nation’s decline in wetland habitat and the mounting risk to fish and wildlife, and our hunting and angling traditions. At the federal level, the TRCP, along with Ducks Unlimited and Trout Unlimited, joined the recent America the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge as inaugural members. The new initiative sets new national goals to reconnect, restore, and protect the nation’s wetlands, rivers, and streams and challenges participants to work collaboratively to sustain these important natural resources. The TRCP is also working with the National Association of Wetland Managers and the National Wildlife Federation to build Congressional support for strengthening the Environmental Protection Agency’s Wetland Program Development Grant Program, which provides funding to states and Tribes to develop wetland protection programs and strategies, which is critical at this moment in time. We’re also working to expand the program’s focus to include implementing these wetland protection efforts, which have been identified as a significant need by the state and Tribal wetland community.

At the state level, the TRCP is working with a coalition of groups to pass bipartisan legislation in Colorado that would create a new wetland program to ensure the protection of important wetlands and streams no longer covered by the Clean Water Act. On May 6^th, the Colorado General Assembly passed this bipartisan legislation with overwhelming support from the regulated and conservation communities. The bill now heads to Governor Polis’ desk for his signature. The bill, among other things, provides more certainty at the state level regarding protections and permitting for wetlands as the debate of the Clean Water Act’s scope will likely continue. Colorado is now one of the first states in the country to pass legislation to restore protections for wetlands and streams. It can hopefully serve as a model for other states considering similar legislative efforts.

Overall, despite the challenges facing America’s wetlands, hunters and anglers can play a pivotal role in the conservation of these critical resources. As the TRCP and partners continue to work to address these challenges it will be important for hunters and anglers to share their stories with members of Congress, state legislatures, and federal and state agencies on the important roles wetland play in sustaining fish and wildlife and opportunities for hunting and fishing.

Top photo by USFWS/Katrina Mueller

Learn more about TRCP’s commitment to healthy habitat and clean water here.

The TRCP is your resource for all things conservation. In our weekly Roosevelt Report, you’ll receive the latest news on emerging habitat threats, legislation and proposals on the move, public land access solutions we’re spearheading, and opportunities for hunters and anglers to take action. Sign up now.

by: Dan Morgan

posted in: Recreational Fisheries

May 13, 2024

Hunters and Anglers Applaud Senate Passage of the Bipartisan ACE Reauthorization Act

The ACE Reauthorization Act aims to boost funding and provide vital enhancements to conservation programs benefiting fish and wildlife.

The America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Reauthorization Act of 2024 passed the Senate on Wednesday May 8, 2024, by unanimous consent. The ACE Reauthorization Act was sponsored by Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and would reauthorize multiple programs that benefit hunting and angling including, the National Fish Habitat Partnership, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the Chesapeake Bay Program, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. It also helps address threats like chronic wasting disease. This reauthorization provides technical improvements, administrative streamlining, and increased authorized funds to improve these programs.

“The America’s Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act will benefit fish and wildlife while enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities for millions of hunters and anglers,” said Becky Humphries, CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, “TRCP applauds the Senate’s passage of this important bipartisan legislation and looks forwards to building on the success of these crucial programs.”

The original ACE Act was passed in 2020 and sponsored by Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). Many of its authorizations expire next year, necessitating the passage of the ACE Reauthorization act to ensure these programs can continue to operate in good legal standing.

The ACE Act is co-sponsored by Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Angus King (I-ME) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).

The TRCP looks forward to working with the House of Representatives to ensure this essential legislation for hunters and anglers becomes law.

Learn more about TRCP’s commitment to healthy habitat and clean water here.

Photo: Josh Metten