Walkin' Fish

[rev214]

What do you think? Falls under the rodent or varmint category?

Walking Fish Threatens Region's Waterways

It is a face only a mother could love, and a fish that has environmentalists worried.

The northern snakehead fish, a native of China, was once imported to the United States but was banned because of its prolific and aggressive behavior.

"They live in areas with low oxygen and are good predators," said Rick Horowitz, of the Philadelphia Academy Of Natural Sciences.

Fishermen are also worried because the aggressive fish will eliminate fish native to this part of Pennsylvania.

"At one time, we used to catch a lot of white perch, but I don't see a lot of them now," one fisherman said.

Another unusual characteristic that worries scientists is that the snakeheads can walk.

Experts fear the invaders will swim or walk to the nearby Delaware River and spread to other waterways.

Philadelphia's Academy of Natural Sciences has been conducting a fish survey in lakes and ponds of FDR park, using electric shocks to temporarily paralyze, catch, survey and release the fish.

"It basically puts their muscles in paralysis and allows us to pick them up safely," academy scientist Paul Overbeck explained. "They will revive in a minute or two."

When the scientists put the current into the water, stunned fish of all types float to the surface.

Shad, sun fish, bluegill, carp and and increasing number of snakeheads pop up.

In southeast Asia, snakeheads are considered good eating, but in the Delaware Valley, they are considered a massive threat to local ecosystems.

When the scientists finish their survey, everyone will have a better idea of how big the threat actually is.

What to do to control their numbers is still an unanswered question.

[Karl/PA]

In many states, Maryland especially, it is illegal to release them back into the water. Most were originally aquarium fish that people just dumped when they got tired of them or they grew too large to keep.

[TaurusGuy]

I bought one when I was 15...I had an Oscar and Piranha in tanks and this seemed like a great fish to add to my collection. The thing would eat as much as you put in there. It would eat, vomit, eat some more. It was unreal. Well, one day I had left over bait fish and threw them in for him instead of buying goldfish...must have been something wrong with them because he died shortly after that. It was kind of a relief really...he ate more than the Oscar did and the Oscar was twice his size at the time.

[billamj]

I hope to hell that they're killing the snakeheads when the catch them doing the shocking. I actually enjoy fishing for bass and these suckers eat the small ones and starve out the larger ones.

[bigdog02]

These fish are horribly invasive species, kill em all.

[rev214]

I hope to hell that they're killing the snakeheads when the catch them doing the shocking. I actually enjoy fishing for bass and these suckers eat the small ones and starve out the larger ones.

I agree. Don't need non-native predators to add to problems.