The Northern Snakehead
A. General Information:
The scientific name for the northern snakehead is Channa Argus. The northern snakehead is a certain fish that came from China, Russia, and Korea. It has a long dorsal fin with 49-50 rays, an anal fin with 31-32 rays. Its head is small and depressed, and the mouth is large and extends well beyond the eyes. The length can go up to 40 inches and weigh up to 15 pounds. Its golden and tan to pale brown with dark blotches on the sides and saddle-like blotches across the back. Toward the front the blotches tend to separate. Between juveniles and adults the coloration is almost the same.[1]
B. Detailed Description:
When sexual maturity is reached in 2 to 3 years the female releases 1,300 to 15,000 eggs per spawn, which is in the summer and can occur 1 to 5 times per year. They build a floating nest and they protect their young aggressively.
90% of the snakeheads diet is other fish (when an adult). Other times it is plankton, aquatic insects, and mollusks (mostly when small). The northern snakehead is a very aggressive fish, it has no natural enemies. It’s a very well adaptor, if it does not like its present environment it can breathe air and is capable of traveling overland by wriggling their bodies over the ground.[2]
C. Habitat and Distribution:
I. Habitat:
It came from China and possibly Korea and Russia. They are used as a food source and also used in rice-fish farming. They are used to get rid of rice pests. They like tropical regions where there are seasonal we and dry conditions. There they can live in waters ranging 0 to 30 degrees C. They can live in waters covered with ice, so they can survive in Maryland.1
II. Distribution:
Around 2 years ago, the species first showed up in Maryland. A local man had ordered 2 live snakeheads from a market in New York's Chinatown to help is ill sister. He was going to make a traditional soup remedy with the 2 fish but his sister became well again so he held them in an aquarium for a 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.”[3]
D. Impacts:
I. Impacts on the ecosystem:
These fish are very predatory and could mess up the balance of the ecosystem, and they can breathe air and migrate overland. They are also very aggressive when they protect their young. They could decimate the population of the native fish.
II. Impacts on Humans:
There are no real threats to humans, but they could bite you.
E. Control Measures:
It is illegal to have these fish in 13 different states, but not in Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Colombia. When or if you catch a northern snakehead fish you are not to put it back in to the water. You are supposed to kill it and freeze it and then notify some type of animal patrol or boat commission.[4]
Works cited
Hilton, Robert. "The Northern Snakehead: An Invasive Fish Species." ProQuest. N.p., 2009. Web. 28
Apr. 2004. <http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/snakehead/overview.php>.
Huslin, Anita. "Snakeheads' Luck Put Pond in the Soup." The Washington Post Company. Washington Post
Staff Writer, 12 July 2002. Web. 13 Dec. 2009. <http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/snakehead/
news0712.php>.
"Northern Snakehead." InvadingSpecies.com. Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters, 2009. Web. 13
Dec. 2009. <http://www.invadingspecies.com/Invaders.cfm?A=Page&PID=23>.
"Northern Snakehead." Sea Grant Pennsylvania. N.p., 2009. Web. 14 Dec. 2009.
<http://seagrant.psu.edu/publications/fs/snakehead2007.pdf>.
[1] Robert Hilton
[2] Northern Snakehead
[3] Anita Huslin
[4] Sea Grant Pennsylvania