Snakehead article

[afishinado]

Snakeheads may be wreaking ecological harm, after all
New research on MD Shore suggests invasive fish could be affecting native species' abundance there, contrary to earlier findings elsewhere

It could take years until the impact of snakeheads becomes apparent, Love said.

“Some invasive species can take decades before the science fully describes consequences of their introduction,” he said. “For some reason, expectations with this species were set really high in the early 2000s, and when that bar wasn’t achieved within 10 years, some people shrugged and said, ‘Eh, so what?’

“Who knows? Maybe they’ll be right, and in 100 years, snakeheads will be as American as apple pie. But I’d just caution everyone that the story with snakeheads hasn’t been fully written yet, and it’s dangerous to pretend that it has.”

Snakehead Article

 

[Acristickid]

The story has not been written yet- best part is they killed 25 of them.

 

[jifigz]

Yeah, and the sad part is some people will get their panties in a bunch over people killing them. You can't kill anything anymore without offending someone. Well, soon I'm headed to a local lake and slaying some smaller LMB, some bluegills, some crappis, or whatever because every now and then it sure is satisfying to supply your own fish dinner.

 

[Fredrick]

Mr. love is a notorious anti snakehead guy, so I highly doubt anything he researches will be non bias . If you watched him speak at the snakehead symposium last year you will take any research he has provided with a grain of salt ,snakeheads are Mr. you Love’s white whale. And may cause harm doesn’t show any of evidence just more creative wording.Best part of this article is all the snakehead haters will run with this article like a political click bait article on Facebook.
I have friends in that area some say they are causing damage and most are saying they made a fishery that wasn’t there before only time will tell.

And Acristickid don’t be a hypocrite how many brown trout have you caught and released?

 

[Acristickid]

Touché

However; I’m afraid that story has been written as much as I love the natives.

 

[sarce]

So they put a dam in to block saltwater, and are surprised that there is a decline in migratory fish such as perch? That's what happens when you put a dam in...

 

[poopdeck]

Fredrick wrote:
Mr. love is a notorious anti snakehead guy, so I highly doubt anything he researches will be non bias . If you watched him speak at the snakehead symposium last year you will take any research he has provided with a grain of salt ,snakeheads are Mr. you Love’s white whale. And may cause harm doesn’t show any of evidence just more creative wording.Best part of this article is all the snakehead haters will run with this article like a political click bait article on Facebook.
I have friends in that area some say they are causing damage and most are saying they made a fishery that wasn’t there before only time will tell.

And Acristickid don’t be a hypocrite how many brown trout have you caught and released?

As compared to a notorious pro snakehead guy. Your beliefs are based on the creative writings and twisting of snakehead angler interpretations of what the experts actually think. I love your passion but unfortunately you are not basing anything about snakeheads on science, ecology or fact. You are merely taking up a cause because of your love of catching snakeheads. I would expect snakehead anglers to be haters of the opposite opinion even if that opinion is actually fact based on science and a love for the whole big ecological picture.

 

[Fredrick]

Even if they were proven to cause harm I’d still fish for them I’d probably creel more that’s about it . And I base my information off of research where is the research of your Snakehead experts proving that they are causing harm ? You know we could say this is your White Whale poopy .

Here some research to look at

https://youtu.be/ghDt11bmm9I

 

[afishinado]

Here is a quote in the article by John Odenkirk, the Fisheries Biologist you (Fred) keep quoting and hold up as the expert in the filed >

"...in the wake of its initial population boom, snakeheads outpaced the carrying capacity of local waterways. Now, things are trending toward equilibrium, Odenkirk said.

“They’re definitely here to stay,” he added. “We’re not getting rid of them. They’re not doing the catastrophic damage we predicted. But it may still happen.”

Fishermen also deserve some credit for heeding calls to catch and kill as many snakeheads as possible, Odenkirk said. They didn’t need much persuading, though."

This is one of the most disconcerting things I read in the article >

"DNA tests revealed that the snakeheads found on the Eastern Shore likely didn’t swim across the Bay from the Potomac but rather were brought in by humans from a population in Delaware, Love said. He believes much of the snakehead’s expansion was caused by fishermen introducing it in waters closer to home, so they don’t have to travel as far to find them.

After their discovery, Maryland and Virginia quickly banned possession of live snakeheads to prevent people from moving them around. They must be killed immediately or released directly back in the waters where they were caught."

It's unbelievable that anglers would do such a thing.

 

[SteveG]

Does he have any actual proof in his blaming of fisherman? Snakeheads used to be very easy to get, and probably still are, via the pet trade and Asian food trade.

 

[afishinado]

SteveG wrote:
Does he have any actual proof in his blaming of fisherman? Snakeheads used to be very easy to get, and probably still are, via the pet trade and Asian food trade.

They were found have the same DNA as the snakeheads found in DE waters. Live snakeheads cannot be legally sold in pet stores or asian markets.

 

[afishinado]

FB post found today from the PFBC site about snakeheads >

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

Have you ever seen a Northern Snakehead? What about a parental pair of Northern Snakeheads guarding a nest?

If not, this could be the week or weeks to do so! As waters warm, especially during the month of July, Northern Snakehead begin to spawn.

If you do believe that you have spotted (or caught) a Northern Snakehead, here's what you should do...

Anglers catching Snakeheads should dispose of them properly. Leaving fish carcasses on the bank is not proper disposal. Anglers suspecting they have caught a Snakehead are encouraged to NOT release it and report it to the Commission at the contact information on our Snakehead web page on the website: https://www.fishandboat.com/…/Pennsylv…/Pages/Snakehead.aspx

Confirmed Snakehead reports are helpful in determining the ever-expanding range limits of this species. Infrequent and frequent reports from various locations suggest their gross relative abundance across their range.

Northern Snakeheads were first confirmed in Pennsylvania in July 2004 after an angler caught and preserved two from the 17-acre Meadow Lake in Philadelphia County. In 2017, there was a verified report of a Northern Snakehead from a water in Berks County, and there are records of them in the Maryland portion of Octoraro Creek.

PA Regulations Related to Northern Snakehead -

• It is unlawful for a person to sell, purchase, offer for sale or barter live Snakehead species in Pennsylvania.
• It is unlawful to possess live Snakehead species in Pennsylvania.
• It is unlawful to introduce or import live Snakehead species into Pennsylvania waters.
• Transportation of live Snakehead species in or through Pennsylvania is prohibited.

Please note that Northern Snakeheads are similar in appearance to the native Bowfin to the untrained eye. Here is a poster that shows the differences between the two: http://www.fishandboat.com/…/PennsylvaniaFishes/Documents/s…

Although cases in which invasive species spread can be halted are unusual, it remains helpful for the public to report sightings of new- or potentially new- plant, invertebrate, and vertebrate species, so that agencies can determine whether there is a practical way to control their spread and abundance before populations expand into new geographical areas or become locally well-established. Some species have requirements or life histories that provide a narrow window of opportunity for population reduction or extirpation. Unfortunately, the complexity of the habitat into which Northern Snakeheads were first introduced in Pennsylvania provided a barrier to any opportunity for lasting population control.

For additional information pertaining to regulations and contact information for reporting sightings: https://www.fishandboat.com/…/Pennsylv…/Pages/Snakehead.aspx

 

[Fredrick]

That has to be the most honest information that the commish has ever put out about snakeheads. I imagine they have received allot of calls recently after the article about there expanding range on the susky . There is a canal that connects the Delaware to the Susky I believe this is how the fish made there way into the flats then upward to the dam . Or it could be a combination of the fish taking advantage of the salt line being pushed down due to all the rain we have had the past two years and the canal.

 

[afishinado]

Scary how prolific these things really are >

https://www.facebook.com/spyce74/videos/10158704776533569/

 

[jifigz]

That's crazy how they guard their young like that. That video sure does make them look like an easy target for bow anglers though.

 

[Mike]

Steve G,
I doubt you will see proof. For example, in my former capacity I would have been unlikely to provide that kind of info (chioose your topic) as doing so could have jeoparadized present or future investigations.

 

[Fredrick]

Officially in the Mississippi now

 

[jifigz]

There is nothing that we can do to really "stop" the snakehead but people really do need to quit spreading them.

 

[Fredrick]

jifigz wrote:
There is nothing that we can do to really "stop" the snakehead but people really do need to quit spreading them.

There was already a population in Arkansas and the White river it was only a matter of time before they made their way in the Mississippi. But the kicker is that the Mississippi drainage covers most of the country . So if you are a Western PA guy will have snakeheads in your backyard soon .

 

[jifigz]

Fredrick wrote:

jifigz wrote:
There is nothing that we can do to really "stop" the snakehead but people really do need to quit spreading them.

There was already a population in Arkansas and the White river it was only a matter of time before they made their way in the Mississippi. But the kicker is that the Mississippi drainage covers most of the country . So if you are a Western PA guy will have snakeheads in your backyard soon .

Oh I'm well aware. And they won't reach me that way because I'm in the Susky watershed but they are obviously moving up that too. Snakeheads have been here a long time and,as you know, I am neither for them or against them. Most fish I catch are non native so what's one more? I'm sure they are a blast. When I pull my first one out of the Juniata it's going to the dinner table.