Snakehead bounty program in MD

[silverfox]

Regarding muskellunge vs trout in Pa, a small segment of the trout angling population not wanting muskellunge stocked in stocked trout lakes has been an occasional occurrence for over 40 yrs.

As for an angler hooking a trout followed by the muskellunge attacking the hooked trout, that happens with other species as well. A muskellunge is an opportunist when it comes to feeding upon injured fusiform fish. This one just happened to be a trout and the unusual thing was that the angler landed both rather than the muskellunge letting go or tearing off a chunk of the trout and swimming away.

The point with the brown trout/musky overlap is this argument (by some) that we should just embrace invasive species because that's what's there now and there's no going back in time. That’s fine when it’s their preferred species displacing a less desirable species, but somehow I don’t they’re advocating for increased musky or smb numbers in their favorite brown trout waters. Same thing with snakeheads. It’s all fun and games until something changes and they start wiping out a popular gamefish species en masse. Then the conflicting messaging that it’s ok to move one nonnative species around, but not another, and you’ve got snakehead fans advocating to release snakeheads.

 

[Mike]

There aren’t any batteries associated with PIT tags used in Pa. They are detectable for as long as they remain in the fish just like the detectability of chips placed in dogs and cats. They have been used in Muskellunge in numerous Pa waters since about 2013…so much so that some Muskellunge anglers have been purchasing tag detectors for their own use.

 

[silverfox]

There aren’t any batteries associated with PIT tags used in Pa. They are detectable for as long as they remain in the fish just like the detectability of chips placed in dogs and cats. They have been used in Muskellunge in numerous Pa waters since about 2013…so much so that some Muskellunge anglers have been purchasing tag detectors for their own use.

Right. PIT tag was the wrong product type. I meant radio telemetry tracking tags like these: https://atstrack.com/tracking-produ...mentType=Body-Implant---Trailing-Whip-Antenna

 

[silverfox]

There aren’t any batteries associated with PIT tags used in Pa. They are detectable for as long as they remain in the fish just like the detectability of chips placed in dogs and cats. They have been used in Muskellunge in numerous Pa waters since about 2013…so much so that some Muskellunge anglers have been purchasing tag detectors for their own use.

What I was getting at is that it could be (I can't speak for MDDNR/USFWS) a dual-purpose program. They get fish movement data and promote fishing for them w/ potentially some reduction in numbers in the process.

 

[Fredrick]

 

[silverfox]

View attachment 1641226273

Case in point

 

[Fish Sticks]

View attachment 1641226273

You clearly respect the animal and have admiration for it. I don’t hate that. I love native brown trout in europe and iceland. Why not advocate for them in their native range I’m sure they face issues/threats there? Why not have snakehead anglers here target content or fundraise for people working with them in their native range in conservation. I know people who have done remote virtual conservation for native species half a world away through advocacy, lobbying, funding ect.

I would be fine if people just said I like catching invasive snakeheads in the states and don’t care about the consequences.

But all this promotion of an invasive species and falsely playing down the fishes ability to harm our native ecosystems does the public a big disservice. I would just keep in mind that the ignorant, selfish, irresponsible people moving these fish around have spread them quite far and wide and they are not guaranteed to impact each ecosystem the same way.A.K.A THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEIR DOING. As stage of invasion increases and new harms are likely documented, whatever is posted on this site, much like John Odenkirk’s little youtube video, is out there forever and might make people famous in a really undesirable way.

If it comes out that snakeheads in these smaller ecosystems start having a much more dramatic immediate negative effect and live up to their full invasive potential as mentioned by Dr. Love an others, the misguided invasive snakehead “ambassadors” need to prepare themselves for the strong emotions that will come from the angling and conservation community in the wake of losing ecosystem stability or a fishery in some of these areas.Your the face now you own it.

Even if not involved in these illegal translocations you guys are making yourselves the face of invasive snakeheads not from just a sporting/fishing perspective, but as promoters of the invasive species themselves. That stance will cause many people to make unfair associations/assumptions especially if things go south.

 

[Troy]

You clearly respect the animal and have admiration for it. I don’t hate that. I love native brown trout in europe and iceland. Why not advocate for them in their native range I’m sure they face issues/threats there? Why not have snakehead anglers here target content or fundraise for people working with them in their native range in conservation. I know people who have done remote virtual conservation for native species half a world away through advocacy, lobbying, funding ect.

I would be fine if people just said I like catching invasive snakeheads in the states and don’t care about the consequences.

But all this promotion of an invasive species and falsely playing down the fishes ability to harm our native ecosystems does the public a big disservice. I would just keep in mind that the ignorant, selfish, irresponsible people moving these fish around have spread them quite far and wide and they are not guaranteed to impact each ecosystem the same way.A.K.A THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEIR DOING. As stage of invasion increases and new harms are likely documented, whatever is posted on this site, much like John Odenkirk’s little youtube video, is out there forever and might make people famous in a really undesirable way.

If it comes out that snakeheads in these smaller ecosystems start having a much more dramatic immediate negative effect and live up to their full invasive potential as mentioned by Dr. Love an others, the misguided invasive snakehead “ambassadors” need to prepare themselves for the strong emotions that will come from the angling and conservation community in the wake of losing ecosystem stability or a fishery in some of these areas.Your the face now you own it.

Even if not involved in these illegal translocations you guys are making yourselves the face of invasive snakeheads not from just a sporting/fishing perspective, but as promoters of the invasive species themselves. That stance will cause many people to make unfair associations/assumptions especially if things go south.

View attachment 1641226273

Part of the reason I trout fish is the sheer beauty of a trout and where they live.

That thing is hideous and lives in areas that suit their appearance.

The only reason I would ever consider fishing for these freaks would be the happiness I would get knowing I put it out of its misery.

 

[Mike]

From the MD DNR snakehead handout sheet…
What can you do? If you catch a northern snakehead, kill it and DO NOT put it back in the water. If the snakehead has a tag, measure the length, make note of the exact location of capture, and call the toll free number printed on the tag. Information that you provide is important in determining control and management strategies.

Also in Pa…This past weekend was a lakes promotional event at Chester-Octoraro Rs, located on the Chester/Lancaster Co line. One stand was to include a section on “ingesting the invader,” which involved the grilling and distribution of free taste test samples of snakeheads.

 

[Fredrick]

 

[poopdeck]

Part of the reason I trout fish is the sheer beauty of a trout and where they live.

That thing is hideous and lives in areas that suit their appearance.

Snakeheads live in very scenic and spectacular areas of the Delaware river. Thanks to some snakehead aficionados we will all find that out Soon enough. Hopefully snakehead appearances are an acquired taste.

 

[Fish Sticks]

The sins of our fathers left us with AMD and vast ecological impairment and our legacy to our children will be intentional snakehead translocations. By promoting these things we are opening a pandoras box. They will behave differently in different systems. We have not even looked at their effect on native amphibians, one of the most at risk group of animals with climate change from my understanding, and we Did see harm to white perch in the blackwater system despite what John Odinkirk says, hes not even boots on the ground in that state. I can’t belive I’m seeing this. Fly fishing community was supposed to be best stewards of the resource

 

[silverfox]

I'm not sure why any of this surprises anyone. Decades of state and federal-sponsored nonnative fish translocations and stocking and now we expect anglers to understand why it's a bad idea?

 

[Fish Sticks]

I'm not sure why any of this surprises anyone. Decades of state and federal-sponsored nonnative fish translocations and stocking and now we expect anglers to understand why it's a bad idea?

Anglers love the Boom with invasive species but the they(or their children, this stuff plays out over a long time in many cases) hate the Bust.

The people who introduced blue catfish had no idea they would make up 75% of the biomass in the James river and then go from 100lb trophies out there to an entire population stunting out at 20 inches after invading so effectively that competition and possibly crashing their own prey base caused them to shorten. Now looks like the blue catfish are harming the stripers at juvenile stage due to deletion of blue claws and worms and possibly predation.

In flathead lake the invasive lake trout introduced seemed to just stay deep in the lake and not bother bull trout. People talking about them like they are not invasive similar to snakeheads on here by some. Then someone introduced Mysis shrimp and all of a sudden there was enough food at that level of lake to allow them to explode and damage other fish species.

Look at whats happening to brown trout in montana. An entire industry was built on that fish and now their declining relative to rainbows and cutthroats that don’t seem to be experiencing the same issues. Now the comedy/tragedy is the governor is getting pressured into forming a council to save these invasive species. Native brook trout would never get that in PA where we have lost the most of any state most likey but we aren’t keeping track. But moral of story is brown trout didnt evolve there. We let them clear native salmonids out and now the anglers that picked them give their children a declining invasive species that has harmed cutts and bulls and other native non game fish like sculpins ect.

We don’t have the money to research all the negative indirect or even direct effects these invasive species have, its impossible. We have to respect the scientific communities recommendations and not pretend we know what we are doing as anglers when it comes to fisheries management or conservation.

Fredrick from what I can tell your a nice guy you served your country, thank you for your service. I am not a fisheries science expert or even a fisheries science novice. I volunteer amplifying the message/knowledge of people smarter than I am. Through discussion with these researchers and reading alot I have gotten a real appreciation for that there is I and all of us as anglers do not understand when it comes to the ecosystems we love and conserving them. I’m asking you to call other researchers from the snake head symposium and ask what they think of Odenkirks minority views and criticisms of other state’s research showing harmful effects and what the dangers are for snakeheads now and in the future. They will tell you there is more we don’t know about their harmful potential than do know.

 

[Tom1980]