Eating a Snakehead


                Fish are highly sought after for either food or trophies. Whether it is for sushi or mounting it on a wall in the living room, fish are caught for all sorts of reasons. Snakeheads are no different when it comes to this lifestyle. Not only are they hunted down to reduce their spread throughout our rivers and lakes, snakeheads are also considered a delicacy. People who weren’t afraid to taste a snakehead, due to its reputation, said that its meat was very firm like chicken. It doesn’t have a fishy smell, even while it’s being cooked. One taster said, [that he] “ranked eating snakehead up with mahi-mahi and flounder”. (Ambrose, Snakehead) Perhaps eating them is how we can get rid of Fishzilla.

                Another way people have fought against the snakehead invasion is by hunting them for sport. In 2014, the state of Maryland labeled snakeheads as state trophies. (DeMetrick, Can’t Beat) Not only is it apparently delicious to eat, snakeheads entice anglers to catch them for their prize money and other rewards. Passports and fishing licenses are given out in Virginia and Maryland for simply catching the fish and emailing a photo. Of course, snakeheads are not allowed to be released back into the wild, so fishermen usually will kill them immediately for their delectable meat or to show off their new large trophy.


Works cited:
“Snakehead taste test”, Kevin Ambrose, The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/05/20/snakehead-taste-test-can-a-fish-this-ugly-really-taste-that-good-photos/?utm_term=.145b86e326ea, May 20, 2015, Accessed Feb 14, 2018

“Can’t Beat It? Eat it”, Alex DeMetrick, CBS Baltimore, URLhttp://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2014/07/25/cant-beat-it-eat-it-snakehead-fish-become-state-trophy/, July 25, 2014, Accessed Feb 14, 2018

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