Pennsylvania Fishermen Urged to Clear Snakeheads From River

[shugah]

Pennsylvania Fishermen Urged to Clear Snakeheads From River

Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Snakeheads, the carnivores nicknamed ``Frankenfish,'' are on the loose in the Delaware River, posing a threat to a key part of Pennsylvania's $1.6 billion-a-year fishing industry.

State officials said in December that an 8-inch northern snakehead was caught near Philadelphia International Airport, a year after two of the fish turned up in a park in South Philadelphia. They now worry that the Asian import, with its razor-sharp teeth and aggressive temperament, may wreak havoc on the river's bluegills, bass and perch.

``We're encouraging anglers to harvest and kill all that they can,'' Mike Kaufmann, a biologist with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, said in an interview this month. ``We don't know how many more there are.''

There may not be much more they can do.

Snakeheads and other invasive species cause $137 billion a year in damage to the U.S. economy, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates.

~snip~

No studies have been done on the snakehead's impact on a river or lake, said Bryan Chikotas, a fisheries technician with the Fish and Boat Commission. Snakeheads, which resemble pikes or water snakes with diamond markings on the back and head, probably were dumped into U.S. waterways by live-food traders or overwhelmed pet owners, game officials said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aaAE9X0umuQ4&refer=us

[hatrack]

1. Yeah, let us know how that works out

Or, as I've been saying a lot on environmental posts of late, "Oops!"

[Lochloosa]

2. Nasty looking fish

[zalinda]

3. Are they edible?

[AngryAmish]

4. Very much so

The reason they are getting into the waters is folks are planting them there intentionally. I heard they have been cracking down on this but one could find them alive in most every decent sized chinatown.

[mom cat]

5. What ever happened to good old American ingenuity?

Someone could make a killing on turning there into fish patties, cat food, or exotic delicacies.

[da_chimperor]

6. But are they tasty?

Not everything eaten by the chinese would be considered edible by most westerners. I've had sea cucumber, and I can't recommend it. Go for the Donkey instead.

[AngryAmish]

7. I have heard so

never had one myself.

[wickerwoman]

11. They're not too bad...

certainly no worse than catfish... The problem is they're bony as hell so it's hard work to get at the flesh. But I'm sure they could grind them up for cat food.

[mainer]

17. I like sea cucumber! You just didn't have yours prepared right.

Sea cucumber doesn't actually have much flavor in and of itself. It's dried first for storage. Then, when you're ready to cook it, you re-hydrate and slice thinly and use it in combination with vegetables and a sauce. Kind of crunchy, like cloud ear fungi. What it really adds is protein and texture.

[pfitz59]

8. Not just Pennsylvania.......

Maryland
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fishingreport/snakehead.html

North Carolina
http://216.27.49.98/pg03_fishing/pg3g3.htm

Counter point.....
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/fish/a/snakehead.htm

California, Texas, Massachusetts, Forida...
http://fisc.er.usgs.gov/Snakehead_circ_1251/html/channa_argus.html

Pretty fish.....

[RebelOne]

18. One found dead in Tennessee

Fish Underscores Dangers Of Stocking Invasive Species

It could have been disastrous to the state's fisheries if the snakehead found floating dead in a west Tennessee lake had been what wildlife managers originally suspected. Turns out the 17-inch fish found in Shelby Forest State Park's Poplar Tree Lake was not a northern snakehead, but another subspecies known as a giant snakehead. The two species are so similar that state fisheries biologists and a University of Memphis biology professor originally misidentified the fish. Later, Dr. Walter Courtenay of the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed it was a giant snakehead - a sub-tropical species incapable of surviving the Tennessee winter. There are 29 species of snakehead fish. The giant is as dangerous as the northern snakehead when alive, but the giant snakehead poses no threat of infestation, Courtenay said. Officials believe the fish was an aquatic pet that was discarded in the lake, and died when the water became too cold.

Snakeheads are a carnivorous species that can grow to 3 feet, and have been found in Maryland, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine.

TWRA Assistant Chief of Fisheries Bobby Wilson said the discovery should to serve as a warning to Tennessee residents about the dangers of releasing exotic species into public reservoirs.

Aquatic pets and plants should never be released into the wild, Wilson said. They have the potential to wreak havoc on our ecosystems.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

9. These sound like a very nasty fish

"These fish are like something from a bad horror movie," said Interior Secretary Gale Norton. "They eat virtually any small animal in their path. They can travel across land and live out of water for at least three days. They reproduce quickly."
<snip>

Some species grow to be as big as a golf bag, and snakeheads guard their young ferociously. The Interior Department said there are reports from Asia of snakeheads attacking and in some instances killing people who approached a mass of their young. -(Surely that's an exaggeration?)-

"They have the potential to cause enormous damage to our valuable recreational and commercial fisheries," warned Norton. "We must do everything we can to prevent them from entering our waters, either accidentally or intentionally."

"Serious Threat"

Snakeheads have no natural predators in the United States and can cross land to reach new aquatic habitats, so it is vital to keep them from breeding here, Norton warned. "Once established, they are nearly impossible to eradicate," she said.

Meanwhile, they can wipe out the surrounding animal life.
More...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/07/0724_020725_wiresnakehead.html

[depakid]

13. Here's a nice photo that does them justice

The way it looks, folks better get used to them.

[AzDar]

15. If I were in the water and saw that thing..I would have a STROKE.

That is hideous..and it can LIVE OUT OF WATER? Jeebus.
My husband keeps trying to tell me that there are things in Texas called alligator gar;not sure if he is just trying to convince me that Barbara Bush isn't the most horrific-looking thing in Texas or not; but he says they'll getcha.LOL

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

10. are these the same species in Louisiana Swamps called Bowfin or Shoepick?

Down in the swamps 'n Luzianna the fish called "Bowfins" ( aka "Shoepick") can walk
on land and are prehistoric looking things.
Anyone know if they are the same as the snakeheads?

[Lochloosa]

14. Nope. I use to catch "Shoepicks" all the time.

We call them Mudfish in Florida.

[NorthernSpy]

12. strike hard against the alien snakehead!

If they're no good to eat, then they can at least be made into a fine organic fertilizer.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

16. Welcome to freshwater hell, PA

Some Chinese guy dumped a few live snakeheads into a small pond out in far western suburban Northern Virginia, and within a month, they'd not only killed everything in the pond, but these fuckers were WALKING to adjacent bodies of water! Now, they're a terrific mess, and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight to them.

Believe me, they're not edible. Not really. Except in China, where they also eat steamed doors.