Invaders, meet incisors.
Putting a bite into invasive species is the guiding philosophy behind a new campaign by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to encourage fishermen to catch an exotic species of fish –- the snakehead -- in the Potomac River and its tributaries.
The state wildlife agency recently started offering prizes –- including a $200 fishing rod and tackle -- to anglers who catch and kill these toothy aliens. Snakeheads were illegally introduced about a decade ago to a pond in Crofton, Maryland, and then started multiplying in the Potomac River. Nobody knows where they came from, but they might have been dumped from an aquarium or been discarded from Asian seafood markets, which sell snakeheads as delicacies.
“We do not want Snakeheads in our waters,” said DNR Inland Fisheries Director Don Cosden (link). “This initiative is a way to remind anglers that it is important to catch and kill this destructive species of fish.”
The state agency does not expect that recreational fishing will totally eradicate snakeheads. But fisheries managers say they hope that anglers will reduce the abundance of snakeheads, so they don’t multiply to unhealthy numbers and outcompete native fish.
To find out how you can compete for the snakehead crown, go here. People who catch these fish should post a photo of their catch on the state agency’s “angler log,” which you can visit here.
By the way, even if you are not casting about for the prize, this is a cool site to visit, anyway, because it provides up-to-the-day information about who is catching exactly what kind of fish, where, and using what kind of bait. It’s kind of the Wikileaks for anglers who want to reveal fishing secrets (Fishilieaks?).
One fisherman, Justin Sherman, posted this photo today (May 2) of the toothsome, fearsome snakehead he snagged this weekend in Mattawoman Creek in southern Maryland. “I've been bass fishing Mattawoman Creek for couple years now, but these past two years I have been catching a lot of snakeheads…. Last year I caught 3 snakeheads in 1 week….. They seem to like top water best and are in very shallow waters. They put up a good fight.”
So we can put up a bite.
Are your tastebuds attuned to this new dining trend, eating invasive species? To learn more about the joys of being an “invasivor,” click here.
To learn more about the snakehead contest, click here.
By Tom Pelton
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
(Photo: Justin Sherman/DNR website)
Interesting atical and approach to controling an invasive species I hope it works I live in Illiois and the Asain carp has taken over the Illinois river and now we are concerned about the possiblity of them invading Lake Michagan invasive species have become a malor problem in a number of places here in the states and we need to work together to resolve the problem
before we get over run.
Posted by: Jeff | 12/08/2011 at 06:39 PM