Snakehead Survey

[mauser58]

How did snakehead fish get into the United States? | U.S. Geological Survey

Prior to being added to the list of injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act in 2002, which banned import and interstate transport without a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, snakeheads were sold in pet stores and in live food fish markets and some restaurants in several major U.S...

www.usgs.gov

 

[Mark75H]

I'm 99% sure this is to determine how far they travel.
Snakeheads travelled from the mainland to the Eastern Shore. That is a lot of brackish or saltwater for a freshwater fish to travel. Very few species can handle that much osmotic stress, and I don't believe Northern Snakeheads are one of those species. It makes me wonder if there was human interaction involved.

The osmotic stress is nothing to them. They are known to handle it better than almost any other fish. They can even survive out of water for a limited time, literally crawling to a new pond, puddle or stream.

 

[mauser58]

Yes they are tough critters and very adaptable to condition change and salinity to fresh water. They are evidently traveling the bay to get to tributaries that are brackish to fresh water. In the mornings at work I have went to the water and seen them rolling on top of the water and very visible and close to shore. Unlike the Carp that are leaping the snakeheads seem to not leap but roll and a huge splash still. I spotted several the other day laying in the water motionless as the tide took them through this small inlet into the marsh. They simply glide with the current and will slowly sink when they see you. Let them see baitfish and all hell breaks loose. These fish are saturated now in the marshy areas of back river and middle river. Many caught where I live on Bear Creek . Seems both Eastern and Western shore is loaded with them now. Why dont the DNR Electroshock them and remove as many as they can even though it wont make a dent in the population.

 

[Mark75H]

You can't sort them out from other fish that you may kill with the shock. Sort of like trying to do the same thing in Baltimore City to separate the criminal element from the inocent.

 

[00 Del]

You think these ones are bad. Wait until the snakehead omicron variant emerges. You're well and truly ****** then. The Chinese communists are taking over starting with the ponds.

 

[Calpoke]

Originally they wanted caught snakeheads fish killed on the spot and then record information about them to send to the DNR folks. We should continue to kill a invading species like snakeheads that eat our local sports fish and other edible species. After all, our food chain is messed up enough without allowing this menace to create an irreversible condition of our waterways that are already in trouble and have been for numerous years.

 

[RoadDawg]

Ain’t it funny… how humans want to think they are in charge?

The world changes… sometimes humans cause these changes locally. That is how many of these invasive species get introduced to environments where they then take advantage of the indigenous species. Once they’re here… we likely will never get them to leave.

But nature has its own way of adjusting things. Eventually, the new balance will be reached.

Until then… snakehead fish are delicious. And hungry people need food.

 

[remrug]

I predict that one day they will be considered a gamefish and will have seasons and size and creel limits.

 

[woodline]

I predict that one day they will be considered a gamefish and will have seasons and size and creel limits.

Seems to be headed that way in some states. Here in Virginia I know the bass population has begun to balance itself with the snakehead population. There are some early conversations revolving around whether useful invasive species like snakeheads and blue catfish deserve their bad rap. Plus we get a lot of tourism out of bow fishers and other non traditional anglers targeting them.

 

[Growler215]

Or, since DNR and USFWS had 500 invasive Northern Snakeheads out of the water to tag them, they could have killed them and helped solve the problem. Instead, they wasted tax dollars catching them, tagging them, releasing them to continue reproducing, and then are wasting tax dollars for someone to catch them again and get a reward for a fish that shouldn’t be in the water anyway. They could just give bounties for catching and removing the fish.

I thought it was illegal to release them once caught. Guess the rules don't apply to DNR. . .

 

[teratos]

Seems to be headed that way in some states. Here in Virginia I know the bass population has begun to balance itself with the snakehead population. There are some early conversations revolving around whether useful invasive species like snakeheads and blue catfish deserve their bad rap. Plus we get a lot of tourism out of bow fishers and other non traditional anglers targeting them.

Truth is, they are here to stay. If they integrate ok with the ecosystem and we keep important populations of critters healthy, I think that’s the best case scenario. The snakeheads are very tasty.

 

[woodline]

Truth is, they are here to stay. If they integrate ok with the ecosystem and we keep important populations of critters healthy, I think that’s the best case scenario. The snakeheads are very tasty.

I think it’s better to have an honest conversation about it. Look at the mess we are in with feral pigs, where a lot of land owners claim they want to get rid of them . . . Until they realize how much money they can make off letting folks hunt their property. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing at all (actually I think it’s great), but the doublespeak makes it difficult to have honest conversations about how to use them as a natural resource.

Controversial opinion aside, I think it’s a good thing to spend a little time and effort to understand their impact and how best to manage the snakehead population if hunters decide they want that. And since they aren’t going anywhere anyway.

 

[remrug]

I thought it was illegal to release them once caught. Guess the rules don't apply to DNR. . .

You are allowed to release them right where you catch them. Releasing them somewhere else is where its illegal

 

[boothdoc]

Aren’t the snakeheads now being caught infected with a type of worm?? I think the parasite is nematodes?

 

[Johnconlee]

Next there will be regulations about catching them, and they will become a sport fish that states can make money on .

I started thinking this a few years ago. Guys spend thousands on lights and generators to kill them. The government will cash in soon.

 

[Wsanner]

Aren’t the snakeheads now being caught infected with a type of worm?? I think the parasite is nematodes?

Nematodes are pretty much in everything that comes out of the water. I have noticed that snakeheads that come from certain rivers have a lot more parasites than other rivers. Normally you pluck the worms out or cut them out and make sure its cooked good, but Ive had to throw a few away just because there were so many. I had one a couple weeks ago that was florescent green inside. I had to wash my hand 3 times in bleach to get the smell off of them.