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See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Ecological Risk Screening Summaries for more species summaries

Governor Wes Moore is calling on the federal government to declare the expanding population of invasive fish species—including blue catfish, flathead catfish, and snakehead—to be an ongoing commercial fishery disaster in the Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The governor sent a letter [Mar 2023; PDF, 2.4 MB] to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo requesting the declaration under provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act. The declaration would qualify Maryland for federal fishery disaster assistance.

The short story of invasive fishes in Maryland.
See also: Report an aquatic invasive using Maryland Invasive Species Tracker (MIST); tool for the public to help the state track invasive species in its waterways.

Provides distribution maps and collection information (State and County).

Provides detailed collection information as well as animated map.

Report your catch of invasive fish species (northern snakehead, blue catfish, flathead catfish) in the Chesapeake Watershed for a chance to win great prizes! The Great Chesapeake Invasives Count is an annual angling-based effort (April 1, 2024-March 31, 2025)  to provide important data to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, USFWS, and other management agencies on what you're seeing on the water. Information related to the number of fish you catch during a given time, as well as the length and weight of the fish you catch is important to fishery managers. It is also vital to investigate the feeding habits of invasive fish to help understand the short and long-term impacts that their existence may cause on native species. It is important that the public recognizes the impacts that these species can have on our natural ecosystems, and does not continue the spread of these fish.

Thousands of invasive fish have been removed from the Chesapeake Bay watershed at the Conowingo Dam earlier this year and donated to local food banks through a continuing partnership between Maryland Department of Natural Resources and others. During the 2024 season, which ran from March to June, more than 18,000 pounds of invasive fish (blue catfish, flathead catfish, and northern snakehead) were removed from Maryland waters.