Information has came to our attention that the Virginia Marine Resources Commission is currently assessing the reinstatement of Electro Fishing permits and adding additional permits to allow multiple electro boats to commercially harvest catfish from public waters in Virginia using specialized electronic equipment that emits an electrical charge into the water stunning any fish in the range of this current. The fish are then scooped up in nets and taken. This drastically furthers a commercial fishery that is operating with almost no regulations, enforcement and has an unlimited harvest ruling in place by the state.

The electro fishing program was initiated by VMRC several years ago under the accusations that Blue Catfish were responsible for the decline of several aquatic species and was destroying the Chesapeake Bay. The VMRC assisted ONE commercial catfish harvester with setting up a specialized Electro Fishing vessel and issued that individual the sole permit to commercially harvest catfish in the tidal waters of Virginia using this technology. During the years this operation was being conducted it pushed the Blue Catfish harvest in Virginia to astronomical highs. In 2017 the Commercial Blue Catfish harvest from Public waters in Virginia soared to 3,460,745 according to the official reports by NOAA. This accounted for more than 1/3 of the reported national harvest of Blue Catfish. Now consider that this proposal is to put 4-5 of these operations on our waters.

These operations contributed to driving the Trophy Blue Catfish populations in these waters to severe lows. The Tidal portion of the James River had once held one of the highest populations of Trophy size Blue Catfish in the country. However according to studies following the Electro Fishing those numbers had dropped to 1.26% of recorded Blue Catfish specimens were 30” or greater according to data gathered by Virginia Tech Researchers. What had once been one of the top destinations in the country for a chance at a “Once in a Lifetime” Trophy Blue Catfish has quickly dropped in the rankings.

However due to opposition and the lack of scientific evidence to support the allegations that Blue Catfish were directly responsible for Shad, Herring, Eel and Blue Crab populations decline the VDGIF and VT conducted numerous studies including an advanced dietary study which collected Thousands of stomach content samples from Blue Catfish in all size ranges across several of the tidal rivers. These samples were then ran through a DNA analysis which determined the exact contents of each individual fish’s diet. The end result was that these accusations were not definitively supported by dietary studies. Due to the lack of proof to these accusations from these studies and various opponents of the program the Electro Fishing permits have been withheld for the past two years. 

The reinstatement discussion is now on the table again with the added initiative of putting up to four more electro boats on our rivers. This comes after the state’s Striper fisheries have been closed due to over harvesting, the announcement that River Herring are being petitioned for the endangered species list due to commercial over harvesting and the issues with Flounder fisheries in neighboring North Carolina that was also due to commercial over harvesting.

There is no data to support the needs for these electro fishing operations and we do not need to add our catfish species to the ever growing list of endangered species and decimated fisheries thanks to poor management and greed. These operations also stand to directly affect all fish species in the area including the highly endangered Atlantic Sturgeon that is now beginning to recover and return to our tidal rivers.

Help us put a permanent stop to these vicious and destructive operations. Our fisheries, the Catfish Angling sport, the livelihood of local businesses and guides are on the line here. It is up to us to ensure that our fisheries are sustainable and Catfish are here for future generations to enjoy.