By Sydney O’Shaugnessy, Thomas Di Fonzo, and Hannah Krantz.

Despite their enormous population in the Potomac River, blue catfish are not native to the area. After their introduction to the Chesapeake Bay watershed in the 1970s, the “bluecats” took over the area, sharply decreasing the river’s biodiversity and harming the populations of native essential commercial fish species. So, when fishing charters like Captain Greg’s Miss Susie head out on the Potomac, they’re encouraged to catch as many bluecats as possible. If the crew finds any other kind of fish on the end of a line, they throw it right back in the water.

Join Chris Paul, a fisherman on Miss Susie’s, for a morning trip to find out what it’s like to catch bluecats and get a closer look at what’s going on in the Potomac River.