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SUBJECT: All You Marylanders Out There.............Take Heed.......
Submitted by Charlie Taylor (66.44.66.246) from VIRGINIA on
A fish was caught in a Crofton Maryland pond that sounds like the worst thing that could happen to our waters. This fish grows to 15 pounds, almost three feet long, eats other fish, can live through icy winters, survives in oxygen-depleted waters.
Sounds like a bowfin, right?
Wrong. One other little thing. Once it cleans out the body of water in which it lives, it simply crawls out of the water and wiggles across land, surviving for up to four days.
The fish, a northern Snakehead, is an import from China & Korea, where it naturally occurs. There is no known predator in this environment.
The pond where it was caught is part of the flood plain of the Patuxent River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. The angler who caught the fish, released it and a massive campaign is in the works to isolate and KILL the fish.
Bob Lunsford, Fisheries Biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, says "If you catch it, kill it". "It's not a dead or alive thing, we want it DEAD!"
Story and Picture: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52395-2002Jun26.html
Charlie.......
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Hydrilla from VIRGINIA says Dang! Sounds mean. Here's a link to a better pic
http://animalpicturesarchive.com/animal/ViewImg.cgi?img=a3/KoreanFish-Northern_Snakehead_J01-scanned_article.jpgThat thing looks like a big bowfin.
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Karl L from DELAWARE says What'd he say?
Hydrilla, I can see the pic, but I my new bifocals aren't quite strong enough to figure out the text!-K-
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Karl L from DELAWARE says Snakehead
I'm almost positive they were available at aquarium stores back in the 70s. I seem to remember back when everybody wanted a 'badaxx' fish in their tank most people had a big Red Oscar, a few had Arawhannas(sp?) and I'm sure I remember Snakeheads. Maybe a different sub-species?-K-
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Charlie Taylor (66.44.66.251) from VIRGINIA says Snakeheads.........
Karl:Snakeheads have been available in the aquarium trade for many years. When I was into it big (some 40 years ago), I would see them everywhere, but these were only one of the family of snakeheads. There are many, but the Northern Snakehead is the big daddy of the lot.
Just like there are over 100 species of pirhana, there are many species of snakehead. Only a handful of pirhana species are meat eaters and only one snakehead species is a baddy.
Charlie......
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hydrilla@hotmail.com (172.159.200.167) from VIRGINIA says LOL, KarlL
HEY! Someone must have released a few of these in the Chickahominy, that's why fishing's been so bad the past couple of years. -
Charlie Taylor (66.44.67.150) from VIRGINIA says Hydrilla.........Has anyone ever managed to figure out.......
that the only thing about the Chickahominy River that has changed over the past 50 years, is that hydrilla has replaced the lily pad fields. I first started fishing the Chick in the mid-1970s and there was no hint of hydrilla anywhere in the river.There was a little coontail and some pondweed in the downriver creeks, but the vast majority of the shoreline in both the river and the creeks was lily pads. The fish were just teeming in these pad fields.
Everyone says that fishing pressure is what is doing in the fish, but in the late 70s and 80s, there were 150 boat tournaments every Saturday and Sunday out of the Hideaway, a few more in the 50-75 boat range out of Chickahominy Haven and some in the 30-50 boat range out of Riverside Camp #2. Then to top it off, you had a bunch of tournaments out of "The Brickyard", Holiday Shores and the public ramp in Morris Creek. With all these tournaments, it still generally took a bag of 20+ pounds to win any tournament.
As the hydrilla took hold, the pad fields started dying out and the fishing went downhill as well. There are still a lot of fish in the river, but nowhere near the number and quality of fish that were there 25 years ago.
I cannot believe that it is due to fishing pressure. I have concluded that the hydrilla crowding out the pad fields are more likely the cause. Of course, the fisheries people have not drawn any likely conclusion to the diminished fish production, but I would sure like to know their take on the substitution of vegetative species.
Charlie.......
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Funky from VIRGINIA says Charlie, you're right...
Hydrilla was in the Chick in the 70's... I don't even think he was born yet!;o)Do you know if the State has done any shocking studies or made any guesses to the decline?
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Hydrilla from VIRGINIA says Must have been asleep, messed my name up. Anyway...
Interesting theory Charlie, but like Funky said- I wouldn't know. I WAS ALIVE for all of the 70s, I just wasn't bass fishing. I was at home watching the Dukes of Hazard and the Smurfs! LOL -
Charlie Taylor (66.44.69.198) from VIRGINIA says Chickahominy River
Funky:The VDGIF have done extensive shocking studies over the past two years and have concluded that the fishing pressure is much less that it was 20-30 years ago, that there are fewer fish per acre and much fewer large fish.
They have not made any guesses as to the decline in bass populations in the river.
I have read the studies and have them around here somewhere. Will try to find them and extract the pertinent information.
Charlie.......
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D (67.37.26.66) from OHIO says I have one and owned four at one time!
These beautiful fish aren't the problem! It's the bone head owners who release them into the local waters. I've had Red Snakeheads for at least two years. I had a Cobra Snakehead a while ago put he got to big for my tank, he reached 18 inches in my tank. I sold him for some almost adult Dempsey's. I love my Red snakehead, he is the center of attention for those outside of the industry. I went to the store today and they told me that they stopped selling them state wide. I will try to find some here! My Red is sharing a tank with the two Dempsey's and a large pleco. People should really focus on those who release them into the water systems. If I were selling them I would make those buying them sign some paper work stating where they live, size of tank, and anything else that would be pertainent. I would also have them notify me in writing or person if the fish dies or they want to sell them. Anything that seemed out of place I would notify the authorities, in place, of the situation. Fines, charges the whole nine would be applied. -
Krusty Krust (69.165.90.119) from VERMONT says To all Snakehead owners
I might be interested in selling my Cobra Snakehead, if the price was right. Please contact me if there are any interests at all. Oh and by the way the fish is about 32-34 inches long and about 4-5 inches around. -
shawn (71.64.138.118) from OHIO says red snakehead
ive had about 10 red snakeheads and there are by far the most awesome fish u could own in the past and i wish i had one now . there just isnt any other fish u can put in ur fish tank thats any thing like it . i wish they would allow the selling of just the red snakehead cause it is a awesome fish and all people that have fish tanks that have aggesive fish want one or at one point in time had one i know i will always try find a way to make them legal again -
Skeeter Boy (65.170.14.142) from TEXAS says Northern Snakeheads
I bass fish here in Tx in one of the most famous bass lakes in the world, Lake Fork. While I find the Northern Snakehead interesting, I sure don't want it spreading any farther than it is. Does anyone have a catch story they can share? I sure would like to hear a story from someone other than an state official or a bass guide. Thanks
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