Marine
07-09-2002, 9:41pm
Little Fish in Crofton Probably Are Snakehead
By John Biemer
Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, July 9, 2002; 6:06 PM
CROFTON, Md. – Compared to the 26-inch-long torpedo-shaped fish caught last week, they're just little brown bullets. But experts say the baby fish caught this week could be the offspring of the notorious snakehead.
Joe Gillespie, the same local Crofton angler who landed the bigger fish, caught more than a half-dozen of the 2- to 3-inch babies in a mesh net on Sunday and Monday at an Anne Arundel County pond, located behind a strip mall. Department of Natural Resources biologists said Tuesday the fish appear to be juvenile versions of the northern snakehead, which is native to China.
Standing on the bank of the 9-acre pond Tuesday, DNR biologist Steve Early showed off one of the live little fish in a plastic ziplock bag. With long fins on its back and belly, it looks like a smaller, lighter colored snakehead. Fisheries experts are not completely certain, however, so they will send the specimen to a federal lab in Florida.
If they are baby snakeheads, Early says that may mean that the alien fish is reproducing. It could also mean that somebody is deliberately letting them loose in the pond.
How it got there remains a mystery. Asian specialty markets often carry the fish, which is native to the Yangtze River, as a delicacy. They also are used as aquarium fish, and could have been dumped by a pet-owner.
"If they're reproducing, there could be hundreds of them out there," said Eric Schwaab, the DNR's director of fisheries.
Early says the northern snakehead, which can grow to be 3 feet long and has a voracious appetite, could adapt well to the climate and conditions in Maryland's waterways.
"This is basically a top level predator in fresh water, and in that position, it has the potential to affect everything beneath it," he said.
They're also tough survivors – able to live three days out of water and walk short distances on their extended fins in search of food. That compounds the potential problem because the Little Patuxent River is about 75 yards away from the Crofton pond.
DNR officials say they have convinced the private owner of the pond to post "No Trespassing" signs to close off the pond from fishing. They're also setting up a scientific panel to investigate the problem and come up with strategies to manage the exotic species.
One possibility, according to John Galvez of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is stunning the fish with electricity, then scooping them up as they float to the surface. So far, the high density of vegetation in the pond has made it difficult for authorities to locate the fish.
Snakeheads also have been found in California, Texas, Massachusetts and Florida, where there is a spawning population, Galvez said.
The discovery of the toothy, walking predators in the Washington area has created something of a media frenzy in the past week, garnering network news attention, an Op-ed in The New York Times, and even a mention on "Live with Regis and Kelly."
DNR officials say they hope the phenomenon can raise awareness of the problems associated with nonnative species, which cause billions of dollars of damage nationwide.
"There is a whole laundry list of exotic species that threaten native systems," Schwaab said. "The snakehead is just one of them."
Found here (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45769-2002Jul9.html)
This is the closest thing I can that I've been hearing about on Foxnews channel...they say if you catch one, KILL them.
By John Biemer
Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, July 9, 2002; 6:06 PM
CROFTON, Md. – Compared to the 26-inch-long torpedo-shaped fish caught last week, they're just little brown bullets. But experts say the baby fish caught this week could be the offspring of the notorious snakehead.
Joe Gillespie, the same local Crofton angler who landed the bigger fish, caught more than a half-dozen of the 2- to 3-inch babies in a mesh net on Sunday and Monday at an Anne Arundel County pond, located behind a strip mall. Department of Natural Resources biologists said Tuesday the fish appear to be juvenile versions of the northern snakehead, which is native to China.
Standing on the bank of the 9-acre pond Tuesday, DNR biologist Steve Early showed off one of the live little fish in a plastic ziplock bag. With long fins on its back and belly, it looks like a smaller, lighter colored snakehead. Fisheries experts are not completely certain, however, so they will send the specimen to a federal lab in Florida.
If they are baby snakeheads, Early says that may mean that the alien fish is reproducing. It could also mean that somebody is deliberately letting them loose in the pond.
How it got there remains a mystery. Asian specialty markets often carry the fish, which is native to the Yangtze River, as a delicacy. They also are used as aquarium fish, and could have been dumped by a pet-owner.
"If they're reproducing, there could be hundreds of them out there," said Eric Schwaab, the DNR's director of fisheries.
Early says the northern snakehead, which can grow to be 3 feet long and has a voracious appetite, could adapt well to the climate and conditions in Maryland's waterways.
"This is basically a top level predator in fresh water, and in that position, it has the potential to affect everything beneath it," he said.
They're also tough survivors – able to live three days out of water and walk short distances on their extended fins in search of food. That compounds the potential problem because the Little Patuxent River is about 75 yards away from the Crofton pond.
DNR officials say they have convinced the private owner of the pond to post "No Trespassing" signs to close off the pond from fishing. They're also setting up a scientific panel to investigate the problem and come up with strategies to manage the exotic species.
One possibility, according to John Galvez of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is stunning the fish with electricity, then scooping them up as they float to the surface. So far, the high density of vegetation in the pond has made it difficult for authorities to locate the fish.
Snakeheads also have been found in California, Texas, Massachusetts and Florida, where there is a spawning population, Galvez said.
The discovery of the toothy, walking predators in the Washington area has created something of a media frenzy in the past week, garnering network news attention, an Op-ed in The New York Times, and even a mention on "Live with Regis and Kelly."
DNR officials say they hope the phenomenon can raise awareness of the problems associated with nonnative species, which cause billions of dollars of damage nationwide.
"There is a whole laundry list of exotic species that threaten native systems," Schwaab said. "The snakehead is just one of them."
Found here (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45769-2002Jul9.html)
This is the closest thing I can that I've been hearing about on Foxnews channel...they say if you catch one, KILL them.