There’s a Northern Snakehead fish species that basically swam out of a nightmare and into our oceans in real life. It’s a long, blotchy patterned fish that can breathe on land and travel on the ground by wiggling its slippery body. But get this, it eats almost anything in its path. This fish is not a picky eater, it doesn’t only eat fish but crustaceans, reptiles, mammals and even small birds.
These ferocious fish are invasive to the United States. They are a threat to native species and the balance of aquatic ecosystems. Unfortunately, the fish have been spotted in over a dozen states across the country and now most recently they have been found for the first time in Georgia. The species was first spotted by an angler fishing in a pond in Gwinnett County. After the discovery, Georgia officials issued clear instructions to anyone else who stumbles upon a northern snakehead – “Kill it immediately.”
Officials immediately investigated the pond after the fisherman alerted Georgia’s Wildlife Resources Division about the odd creature he had found. Upon investigation, the officials found an adult snakehead, which was possibly the one that the fisherman had released back into the water, and three juveniles. According to a fisheries operations manager with the Wildlife Resources Division, all those snakeheads are now dead and frozen.
Originally, snakeheads are native to Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Africa. In those countries, they exist in freshwater ecosystems with the appropriate balances to keep the fish in check. However, in the past decades, the species have been sold in pet shops and live food markets in the United States. It’s believed that aquarium hobbyists or those hoping to establish a local food resource have released them into natural waters.
Maryland was the first state that the snakehead population took hold in, and now the species can be found in almost every major tidal river of the Chesapeake Bay. The fish were added to the list of injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act in 2002, which caused the ban of import and interstate transport of snakeheads.
Former Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton said:
These fish are like something from a bad horror movie. They can eat virtually any small animal in their path. They can travel across land and live out of water for at least three days. They reproduce quickly. They have the potential to cause enormous damage to our valuable recreational and commercial fisheries.
Unfortunately, even with legislative efforts to control them, four species of snakeheads have been spotted in 15 states, from New York to California and even Hawaii. It’s unclear how the fish got to Georgia, maybe it slithered its way from California or maybe somebody brought it there. However, the state’s Department of Natural Resources offers a reminder that “it is unlawful to import, transport, sell, transfer, or possess any species of snakehead fish without a valid wild animal license” in Georgia.
Experts plan to conduct genetic testing on the four snakeheads captured in the Georgia pond to see if the juveniles are related to the adult. Officials believe, at least one other parent may still be swimming or slithering free eating everything in its’ path.
