Did Anybody Hear NPR This Morning About Snakehead Fish?

[hatrack]

Appalling. One man interviewed was a serious bass nut. He told of pulling up butt-ugly, bright green two-foot mass of teeth out of the river, and figuring out that it was a snakehead. He whacked it on the head three or four times with a pair of pliers and tossed into the bait well, which didn't have any water in it.

Guess what? Four hours later, the thing was still alive, mad as hell and oozing masses of slime from every pore, making it almost impossible to pick up to show to the state Fish & Game guys.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, fishermen and scientists are pulling pregnant females out of the Potomac on a regular basis.

[GreenGreenLimaBean]

1. I heard it Hat

a most disturbing piece. and it doesn't sound like they will be successful in exterminating them.

[indigobusiness]

8. The Chesapeake Bay fishery

is toast.

Damn...this is bad.

[dubyaD40web]

2. I heard it too

Don't like the sound of the preggo female thing either. That doesn't leave much doubt that they're there to stay. But at least they have allies among pretty much the entire fishing populace to help out. That may help to slow the spread of the little monsters, if nothing else.

I'm thinking, if I'm fishing and caught one of them, I'd cut it up and use it for bait. Maybe measure and weigh it, save enough of it for F&G to look at, but put the rest to good use. Is that legal, or do you have to save it for F&G to check out? Because I wouldn't want to put one of those in my live-well with the fish I actually wanted to keep, and I sure wouldn't want it flopping around the floor of my boat either.

[blindpig]

3. like the Bay doesn't have enough problems......

I can't believe they still allow the import of those things. If they're getting gravid females out of the Potomac the game is over, snakeheads 1; MD 0. That's my home ground, it makes me sick.

[LynneSin]

4. It's a major problem here in Delaware

Great article about it from our News-Journal:

http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2004/07/31delawareputssna.html

BTW - the reason that thing was still alive after a sound beating:
Northern snakeheads are an edible fish originally from Asia and introduced to this country through fish markets. The fish can grow 3 to 4 feet long and can wriggle out of the water and survive on land for days. Dozens of states already have banned snakehead possession, warning that the fish lacks natural enemies in the United States and could crowd out native species, potentially disrupting ecosystems. <<more from the above link>>

Here's what that beauty looks like:

[depakid]

5. People apparently keep these things as "pets"

Then dump 'em when they get too big. Looks like Sigourney Weaver's Alien, if you ask me.

[hatrack]

6. Damn!

That's one big ugly fish!!

[indigobusiness]

7. Another thread with article

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x12269

I should've just posted this to your thread, originally.