Snakehead Fish in Monroe Bay

[Bad Obsession]

A waterman that works out of my marina told me that he caught a 4 pound Snakehead fish in one of his traps. This was in Monroe Bay (Colonial Beach) which is off of the Potomac.

The waterman reported it to the Potomac River Fisheries Commission. This is the furtherest down river that a Snakehead has been caught.

This is bad news!

 

[sailingdog]

Very bad news. Snakehead fish have no natural predators and are very vicious and will kill off most of the native fish in any environment they infest.

 

[Bad Obsession]

I wonder what they will do to the crabs too. This could really do some serious damage in this area.

Once the summer comes the saltiness in Monroe Bay will go up. They can move further into Monroe Bay and find fresher water but it could kill them off from there or push them back up river.

I know that when I was a kid it was rare to find catfish in this area of the Potomac. Now it is not as rare.

Definitely bad bad bad news.

 

[MoonSailer]

WHY are there no laws?????? All of these exotic plants and animals should not be imported into the country. Every year there are more and yet nothing is done. Look at the Burmese pythons i florida. Carp in the great lakes will we never learn???

 

[rpwillia]

Quantico

We have a few living in the marina in Quantico I understand.

 

[sailingdog]

IIRC, the snakeheads were originally imported for the restaurant trade and raised as a food fish. There are laws, but people just don't pay much attention to them.

WHY are there no laws?????? All of these exotic plants and animals should not be imported into the country. Every year there are more and yet nothing is done. Look at the Burmese pythons i florida. Carp in the great lakes will we never learn???

 

[Roger Long]

WHY are there no laws?

Because that would be socialism and people who love America want to be free. Got to get government to stop worrying about silly things like making sure blowout preventers and mine ventilation systems work so we can get this county back on track and our economy growing again. Cut money for education so we can keep those vital farm subsidies.

 

[MoonSailer]

BUTTTTT I want to be free of pythons trying to eat my children if we camp out. I want to be free to catch bass and bream not snakeheads. I want to be free from being attacked by pit bull terriors. Does this make me a bad american???

 

[Ross]

What I find amazing is the laws that declare the python as a dangerous invasive species but you need a special permit and may only kill it with a decapitating blow with a machete. A 12 gauge shotgun is not an approved method.

 

[Bob J.]

The snake heads were imported into this country illegally & eventually released into the "wild". I have to believe the people that did this had no idea the havoc they would create. There was a program on discovery or the history channel last year that has documented thru dna that the snake heads in this country did originate from asia.
They can survive in fresh or salt water. I've heard unconfirmed reports on a couple of fishing sites that the snake head has been caught as far north as NJ. This is one fish that if caught, needs to be terminated

 

[Jim Seamans]

Well damn, there goes my skinny dipping in the Potomac....

 

[RichH]

sigh .... just like the poisonous Lionfish - which now has spread from Brazil to as far as Massachusetts. Are devastating the reefs.

Stupidity was the probable cause of the initial release (eggs) from the aquariums on Paradise Island in Nassau. .... and such stupidity will continue unrestrained.

 

[RichH]

WHY are there no laws?????? All of these exotic plants and animals should not be imported into the country. Every year there are more and yet nothing is done. Look at the Burmese pythons i florida. Carp in the great lakes will we never learn???

If it were only that laws would prevent such stupidity. With approx. 30000 laws per EACH citizen of the USA already on the books, clearly there is evidence that 'laws' only work for the benefit of the litigator (@ 1 litigator per ~300 citizens).

What we need is the learning of RESPONSIBILITY and ETHICS --- things that are entirely unobtainable from 'laws'.

 

[caguy]

Nat Geo did a documentary on the fish last year. The snakehead was first released in Maryland by a man who snuck them into the country from China to make soup for his ailing sister. By the time he got back with the fish his sister had recovered. He released the fish as good luck into Crofton Pond. Not having any natural predators they multiplied and continue to multiply. The man confessed this out of concern for what he had done, the statues of limitation 2 years had run out.
I can't remember the state that attempted to stop them by poisoning a whole section of river in an attempt to rid the river of them along with everything else. It didn't work and they moved upstream.
Last year there were reports of snake fish all across the country. There have been sightings in 25 states from the east coast to California. I don't think its going away soon.

 

[sailingdog]

One problem with the snakehead is that it is very primitive and can survive conditions that other fish can not. They can also survive out of water for short periods of time.

 

[DeniseO30]

they are everywhere it would seem

DELAWARE RIVER — Snakehead fish, which have become famous for their aggressive behavior, sharp teeth and ability to maneuver on dry land, have been spotted in waters in Philadelphia, PA. The exotic Asian fish first showed up in a pond in Maryland in 2002. By 2004, the fish were found in Meadow Lake, a tidal pond at Philadelphia’s FDR Park. From there, they have moved into the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers.
Does that mean they could make their way more than 170 miles up the river as far as Narrowsburg? Dr. Richard Horwitz of the Academy of Natural Science in Philadelphia said “there’s no real reason they would not make it that far.” He noted that there are no physical barriers to stop them, and they wouldn’t have any problem with the colder water temperatures here. But his thought is that they probably prefer water that is quieter than the Upper Delaware, with a bit more vegetation. The predatory fish could pose a greater problem in local backwaters, he said. According to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, it is more likely that the fish will migrate into the Lehigh River at Easton, PA.
Snakeheads, which have been nicknamed Frankenfish, have a reputation for wiping out other species, can maneuver short distances over dry land using their fins as legs, and can survive out of water for several days.
Fishermen who catch a Snakehead should report it to the National Park Service’s Milanville office at 570/729-7842. The fish should not be released back into the water, Horowitz said

 

[Bob J.]

This tread got me to thinking about another "how stupid are you" about some of the river systems that feed lake of the ozarks. If I understood the story correctly the missouri dnr is dealing with pirahnas??? that someone has dumped into the lake & they've migrated into the flowing water of the river system. Talk about a time bomb..