Another foreign fish has found its way to America

WASHINGTON - Scientists say the northern snakehead fish seems to be expanding in the Potomac River, which runs along West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle.

Researchers are changing their focus from eradicating the predatory fish to collecting information on how it can co-exist.

The Asian fish have been quickly reproducing, but haven't gobbled up the Potomac's bass population.

Scientists will be watching over the next several weeks to see if there's a repeat of last October's mass migration of snakeheads. That could be a crucial test of the snakehead's growth.

The alien fish may have first shown up as early as 1998 or as late as 2002. Scientists believe a male and a female were dumped in the water and found each other in a Fairfax County creek in Virginia.

Snakeheads have become widespread, showing up in creeks in Maryland, the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C., and tributaries of the Occoquan River in Virginia.

Anyone fish the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens lately?

Washington state has had the Amur Goby starting to show up in the Lewis River system. These foreign fish concern me; I don't want to see them push out our native salmonids. But as long as people, who are uneducated about the dangers of releasing fish, have aquariums these problems will continue.

Adam

GOBY ALERT!

A nonnative freshwater goby, tentatively identified as the Amur goby (Rhinogobius brunneus), has been found in spawning condition in the lower East Fork Lewis River in the state of Washington. Effective evaluation of control options requires rapid determination of this species? geographic extent. Please watch for this species in other Pacific Northwest waters, particularly if you are conducting fish surveys. Note that it has been misidentified as a native sculpin.
Distinguishing features:
? Fused pelvic fins, which form a suction-cup structure on the chest of the fish. The pelvic fins of sculpin are separate.
? Red or dark line running from the anterior margin of eye to the tip of its snout on both sides of its head. Native sculpins do not (one species has a spot of pigment at the tip of snout, but not a line connected to the eye)
? Breeding males are very distinctive ? fleshy mouths, colorful fins (white margins on anal, dorsal fin) and bodies (red and blue). Otherwise, this species has mottled, cryptic coloration similar to patterns seen on sculpin.
? Juveniles look very similar to darters.
? Body length up to 10 cm.
? Large mouths
? Perches on bottom substrate
? Some populations are amphidromous, spending
several months in brackish/marine water before
returning to freshwater to live as adults.
More information at: http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactShee ... iesID=2612
10 cm
If you find this fish:
? Document where/when/etc.
? Take photos if possible.
? Collect/preserve specimen.
? Report to 1-877-STOP ANS ? For more info, contact Paul Heimowitz, USFWS 503-872-2763 paul_heimowitz@fws.gov

I know what you are saying, that there are some nuisance fish that create problems. But isn't the brown trout a non-native fish to America?
Sometimes we need to temper our thoughts on what we perceive as an "outsider fish".
But we also need to act quickly on fish that can become nuisances.

I know I may get a verbal lashing for this, but I am opposed to all fish introductions. I honestly wish we didn't have brown trout in America, brook trout in the west and rainbows in the east.

Just my opinion.

Adam

We have snakeheads here in Ga. as well, down around the Altamaha (Ouestanala)River. On the upside, they are great to eat! They have fine-textured, firm, flakey flesh that has a delicate, but slightly smokey flavor reminicient of a well prepared eel. Fairly easy to catch as well. They put up a decent fight on med. spinning gear. They really like nightcrawlers.

As far as I know, I am the only person that fishes for them, on-purpose. I learned in Asia, where they are a significant food-fish (as are carp). The DNR people think I'm nuts, but are happy to assist me in catching all I want. At this time, there is no limit, and they are not considered a gamefish. They can be speared, shot with bow or firearm, or caught by hand, or any other way you can catch them (except using explosives). They can even be netted (and they won't let you do that even to carp in this state). I think it could be a new resource.

I haven't tried them on on a fly yet. I guess that will be my next project.

I haven't noticed any changes in the river fish populations as a result of the snakeheads, yet. There are still plentiful bass, sunfish and catfish in the river as far as I can tell. The snakeheads have been there for a few years now. My personal opinion is that the ecosystem will adapt to accomodate them, just as it has for carp, nutria, brown trout, hydrilla, kudzu, cotton-tail rabbits and Russian Boars.

Gig

If these foreign fish don't eat the new zealand mud snail, and compete with our native fish, who needs em?

A problem here in Pennsylvania too. Here is the P.F.B.C. article:

http://www.fish.state.pa.us/water/fish/ ... 0index.htm