Snakehead

Caroline Boucher 4/17/12 Env. Science

The Channa argus, or snakehead, has a long, thin body that can grow up to forty-seven inches and weigh up to fifteen pounds. It has a somewhat flattened head with eyes located toward the backside. On its torpedo-shaped body there are elongated dorsal and anal fins and a truncated tail. As the name implies, the scaled head of the fish looks like a snake, but includes a large mouth with sharp teeth and protruding lower jaws. Snakeheads can change color as they mature with younger fish being gold-tinted or brown while older fish are generally dark brown with large black blotches. Snakeheads are naturally native around the Chinese, Russian, and Korean borders, where they are considered a delicacy. They live in muddy or vegetated ponds, swamps, and slow-moving streams with temperatures ranging from zero to thirty degrees celsius. Snakeheads can breathe air and survive for up to four days out of water, and can survive for longer periods of time when burrowed in the mud. They are capable of traveling overland to new bodies of water by wriggling their bodies over the ground. In 2002, Officials first found out about the snakeheads when a fisherman visited a government office in Annapolis, Maryland, with a photograph of an unfamiliar fish he had caught and then re-released in Crofton, Maryland. Biologists soon identified the fish as a Snakehead and began to investigate how they got there. The snakeheads are thought to have entered the Maryland ecosystem by a local Chinese-man who ordered a pair of live snakeheads from a market in New York's Chinatown so that he could prepare a traditional soup remedy for his ill sister. However, by the time the snakeheads arrived, the sister had recovered, so he kept them in an aquarium for a while, then released them into a local Crofton pond. The man has since confessed his actions to local authorities, but cannot be charged with release of an exotic species because the two-year statute of limitations has expired. Biologists then began a process using a chemical treatment to eliminate the snakeheads.

The herbicides Diquat Dibromide and Glyphosate were applied, causing oxygen levels in the pond to drop, and killing fish. Dead fish were removed daily, and the site was closely monitored. Within a few weeks, water quality levels returned to normal and were sampled to make sure that the snakeheads did not escape from the pond and spread further in Maryland. The threat from Crofton was thought to have been eliminated, but despite these efforts, in 2004 it was confirmed that snakeheads had become established in the Potomac River. Since then, the snakehead has also been reported in Florida, a lake within a New York park; two ponds outside Philadelphia, a pond in Massachusetts; and reservoirs in California and North Carolina. In 2008, the northern snakehead was found in drainage ditches in Arkansas, as a result of a commercial fish farming accident. It is feared that recent flooding allowed the species to spread into the nearby White River, which would allow for the eventual population of the fish in the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers. Once the snakeheads are established in waters, where they have no natural enemies, they can multiply prolifically and become be deadly, catastrophic, and disrupt the ecosystems predatorprey balance. Snakeheads compete with native fish and aquatic wildlife for food and territory. Juveniles feed on zooplankton, insect larvae, small crustaceans, and the fry of other fish. As adults, they become voracious predators, feeding on other larger fish, crustaceans, frogs, small reptiles, and even birds and mammals. Additionally, when the snakehead is introduced to a new body of water, there is always the threat that they bring new diseases and parasites along with them. Finally, it is up to individuals to help and prevent their spread. If you find a snakehead kill it, separate the gills from the body, and immediately put it on ice, then contact your states Department of Natural Resources or local Fish and Boat Commission. Works Cited 1. http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/snakehead/overview.php

2. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/07/0712_020712_snakehead.html 3. http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/snakehead.shtml 4. http://www.anstaskforce.gov/spoc/snakehead.php 5. http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/snakehead-faq.asp 6. http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/predatory/effects.php 7. http://www.fish.state.pa.us/water/fish/snakehead/snakehead.