Blue Catfish
Blue Catfish
Blue Catfish were introduced to Chesapeake Bay tributaries in the 1970s and 1980s. According to Juvenile Finfish Trawl Survey data, Blue Catfish are currently more abundant in the James, York and Rappahannock rivers than either White Catfish or Channel Catfish. Blue Catfish have been collected by the survey in salinities as high as 21.8 parts per thousand.
Blue Catfish Barbels
The barbels (or "whiskers", hence the name "catfish") around their mouth contain taste buds to assist in finding and tasting prey.
Large Blue Catfish
This specimen is the largest Blue Catfish documented by the Juvenile Finfish Trawl Survey. It was collected in the James River in 2025 and measured 107.5 centimeters (about 42 inches) in length.
Photo Credit: Jack Buchanan
- This species first recruits to the survey gear in August.
- The Young-of-Year cutoff values are:
- August: 0-115 mm.
- September: 0-130 mm.
- October: 0-130 mm.
- November: 0-130 mm.
- December: 0-165 mm.
- January: 0-165 mm.
- February: 0-165 mm.
- March: 0-165 mm.
- April: 0-50 mm.
- May: 0-50 mm.
- June: 0-75 mm.
- July: 0-100 mm.
- Index months are in bold.
- In 2018, the recruitment window for juvenile and age 1+ Blue Catfish was changed from the period December to March to the new period between September and November. All of the annual indices for Blue Catfish were recalculated based on the new recruitment window.
- Because Blue Catfish are restricted in their distribution, an index of abundance is calculated for each tributary. All stations in the upper river and a portion of stations in the lower river are used.
- The Age 1+ index for this species contains several year classes. It may be possible to split out individual age groups in the future.
Data collected after the transition to a new vessel and net (June 2015) have been adjusted by a species-specific calibration factor.