Snakeheads Now



When snakeheads first invaded, there was panic. Because of the rate at which the fish reproduce and expand, the situation seemed dire. Predictions said that snakeheads would have destroyed the Potomac River’s ecosystem with ease. There is still illegal trafficking of snakeheads, which has since had a bill that has increased the fine up to $500. All is not lost though, due to the species fitting in a lot more smoothly to the environment than anticipated.

Snakeheads have been a bit more beneficial than initially realized. They’ve helped increase food supply, becoming delicious meals for humans and becoming prey for hawks. Snakeheads actually helped increase the population of bass in the Potomac River, revealing that they can coexist without invading in a negative manner. (Ambrose, Apparently Snakehead) The fish also have become a huge target for fishermen and anglers due to the difficulty of catching them, the prize money they can offer, and the tender meat that they have.  Fishermen have been fighting to make the snakehead a game fish for the longest time as well.

Scientists report that snakeheads don’t seem to be as much of a problem as we had first thought. John Odenkirk, a marine biologist, does suggest however, “It’s too soon to determine if the species is benign or a threat to the ecosystem.” (No author, Snakehead infiltrates) Perhaps only time will tell if Fishzilla will take over the fish kingdom in the United States or simply remain as another fish to eat.


Works Cited:
1. “Apparently, the once-feared Snakehead is just another fish in the Potomac”, Ambrose Kevin, Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/06/16/apparently-the-once-feared-snakehead-is-just-another-fish-in-the-potomac/?utm_term=.c1fce2f1e553, Published June 16, 2017, Accessed Feb 26, 2018
2. “Snakehead infiltrates Virginia waters and legislation”, https://wtop.com/virginia/2017/02/snakehead-infiltrates-virginia-waters-and-legislation/, WTOP, Published Feb 11, 2017, Accessed Feb 26, 2018

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is Fishzilla?

Image
What exactly makes a snakehead a snakehead? This post will explain what a snakehead is, its role as an apex predator, and other scientific attributes. Usually found in Eastern Asia, snakeheads invaded the U.S. in 2002 and have been classified as an injurious species. They have earned the nicknames “Fishzilla” or “Frankenfish” due to their strange behavior and anatomy. So let’s learn a bit more about these creatures with this introduction. Channidae, or Snakehead as it’s commonly known as is what I will cover the most throughout this blog. The northern snakehead (Channa argus ) and the giant snakehead ( Channa micropeltes ) are the specific types that were first introduced to our Maryland shores, a topic I will cover later. This species of fish is extremely voracious, consuming prey whole within a split second. Naturally, snakeheads are predators that feed on other fish, making them apex predators. Since they have no natural opposing predators, they can hunt mercilessly without any ...
Read more

Letting Loose a Monster

Image
In 2002, the first captured discovery of a snakehead in U.S. waters was reported in a pond near Crofton, Maryland. They’ve been introduced both accidentally and illegally to other places all around the world, such as Japan, Russia, the Philippines, Madagascar, and Hawaii. (Courtenay, Williams, Northern Snakehead) There were two major factors that lead scientists to believe why Fishzilla was brought over to our lakes and rivers from Eastern Asia.                                 The first is that snakeheads were accidentally bought and sold as pets or as food in live fish markets. This was assumedly a mistake made since snakeheads bear a striking resemblance to bowfin fish. Having realized the mistake, several markets released the fish into rivers and lakes either to get rid of them or to establish a local food resource. In 2004, after an ...
Read more