What’s the Risk? The Snakehead Taskforce Initiative
Expansion of a Northern Snakehead Population in the Potomac River System
Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 136:1633–1639, 2007 doi: 10.1577/T07-025.1
Northern snakeheads (Channa argus) are illegal to posses in the states of Maryland and Virginia. After finding several of these fish in a Maryland pond in 2004, both states created an initiative in order to quantify and eliminate the snakehead “threat.” By way of electrofishing (a system of creating an electrical blast radius in a water body) and traditional hook and reel fishing, a large number of snakeheads were accounted for. The amount of snakeheads caught increased between the years of 2004 and 2006, either by way of informed anglers, or increased breeding.The study came to several conclusions. The majority (>80%) of the fish caught originated from a single point, showing a central nest location. They then began to migrate downstream in an attempt to find more food and nesting grounds. As the population matured over the years, the average length and mass of captured snakeheads increased. In addition, these fish fed primarily on the local aquatic fauna population, decreasing the amount of game fish for local anglers.
February 6th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Until now I had never heard of electrofishing. It sounds innovative yet potentially dangerous as well. Would this type of fishing also have negative effects on nearby plants and fish?
February 6th, 2010 at 6:08 pm
I researched the snakehead while trying to find my major writing topic, and I thought the species was incredibly interesting. Its predatory nature, ability to “walk” across dry land, and even the fact that it has attacked humans make for an incredibly dangerous invasive species. I tried to find some information about control of the species but was unable to find any, so great job finding an interesting article! Do you think it is possible to eliminate such a dangerous predator that is at the top of its food chain and has many rare adaptive advantages? The only advice I would give would be to improve the flow of the highlight. At times it seemed a little choppy as if some sentences were misplaced. I found this summary very far-reaching and informative, though!