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NORTHERN SNAKEHEAD
• Freshwater fish family – Channidae
• Is an obilgate air breather
• Allows it to live outside of water for up to several days
• Native to China and possibly Korea and Russia
• Prefer stagnant water with mud substrate & aquatic vegetation or slow muddy streams
• Primarily piscivorous
• Build spawning nests in aquatic vegetation
• Considered highly invasive
INTRODUCTION TO U.S.
• First discovered in a pond in Crofton, Maryland in 2002
• Pond was drained – 2 adults and over 100 small fish found and destroyed
• Considered to be a threat to the Chesapeake Bay watershed
• Introduced through fish markets
• Have also been found in:
• PA, NY, MA, NC, FL, AK, CA
• A new concern –spreading close to the Great Lakes
IMPACT OF NORTHERN SNAKEHEAD
• Competes for food and habitat
• Preys on native species
• Juveniles – pray on zooplankton, insect larvae & crustaceans
• Adults become voracious predators – pray on other fish, crustaceans, frogs, reptiles, even birds and mammals
MANAGEMENT
• Control methods vary with each specific infestation site
• Physical removal is not likely to be successful for large infestations
• For limited infestations physical removal may be possible
REFERENCES
• Pasko, Susan. United States Federal Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force . Northern Snakehead. , 2005. Web. 23 Apr 2011. <http://www.anstaskforce.gov/spoc/snakehead.php>.
• United States Department of Agriculture. Aquatic Species. , 2011. Web. 23 Apr 2011. <http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/snakehead.shtml>.