Maryland Schools Serve Invasive Blue Catfish as Catty Patty Meals

Maryland Turns an Invasive Fish Problem Into School Lunch With the Catty Patty

An aggressive, 100-pound Midwestern sea beast found itself an unlikely new home in Maryland’s eastern shores during the 1970s, setting off an ecological imbalance that state officials are now combating by putting the invasive predator straight onto student lunch trays, VICE reported.

State officials originally brought the blue catfish into Virginia rivers for recreational fishing, assuming that salty water would keep the population neatly contained. But after massive rainfall decades ago, the fish discovered a fondness for brackish water and quickly colonized every tributary in Maryland, systematically devouring local blue crabs and rockfish.

With no natural predators to keep the population in check, humans had to step in to restore order to the local food chain. Enter Beth Brewster, food service supervisor for Caroline County Public Schools, who was tasked by state officials with finding a way to turn the disruptive fish into a viable school lunch.

How the Catty Patty Landed on Lunch Trays

Brewster’s solution was the “catty patty,” a USDA-approved, crab cake-style fish patty that has quickly become a cafeteria hit across Maryland and Virginia. Because blue catfish feed on local crabs and rockfish, their meat carries a surprisingly rich, sweet, white, and flaky texture that lends itself well to the recipe.

Local fishermen now harvest thousands of pounds of blue catfish year-round under a system with zero catch limits. The strategy offers a practical counterweight to an ecological threat that refuses to disappear entirely.

The reception from students has been overwhelmingly positive. As second-grader Ben Rochon put it simply while speaking to a reporter about the school lunch: It’s yummy.

The Ecological Stakes and Future Outlook

While wildlife managers acknowledge that blue catfish will likely never be fully eradicated from the region, the combination of commercial harvesting and school consumption ensures that the invasive species earns its keep on the lunch line.