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[Todd]

Snakehead Fish Found in Tennessee Waters



January 12, 2006

Tennessee has now joined eight other states in the discovery of a northern snakehead fish in its public waters.

The Fisheries Division of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency received a report that a fish appearing to look like a snakehead had been found by a fisherman in Poplar Tree Lake in the Meeman-Shelby State Park near Memphis. Park Manager Steve Smith reported the potential snakehead fish to the TWRA office in Nashville on December 20, 2005. Smith said that an off-duty deputy sheriff found the 17-inch dead fish floating in the lake on December 12 and scooped it up. The deputy sheriff, William Nelson, has a B.S. degree in Biology and knew that the fish was not something he had ever seen before. Deputy Nelson had read about snakeheads in Maryland and Pennsylvania in news articles over the past year and suspected that this fish may indeed be one as well.

TWRA Assistant Chief of Fisheries Bobby Wilson spoke with Park Manager Smith about the fish. "My first thought was that someone had probably caught a bowfin which slightly resembles a snakehead in appearances," said Wilson. "But it became obvious that Smith was relatively familiar with the identity of a snakehead fish". Smith had already sent the fish to Dr. Jack Grubaugh at the University of Memphis for identification where he confirmed that the fish was, indeed, a northern snakehead fish.



Snakehead fish are native to China and Southeast Asia. The northern snakehead is a voracious predator with very few enemies and can decimate native fish populations. They can grow up to nearly four feet in length. Snakeheads can breathe air and can survive for up to four days out of water. They can also travel over land to new bodies of water by wriggling their bodies over the ground. Snakeheads are sold in the U.S. both as food in Asian markets and as pets. They are illegal to possess or transport in Tennessee and are listed as an "injurious to the environment" species.

Wilson says that the next step will be to determine if this is an isolated case or if there are more fish in Poplar Tree Lake. Electrofishing samples will be conducted in the lake soon and will continue through the Spring to look for other adult fish or evidence of reproduction.

Adds Wilson, "I hope that this was a case where this fish was someone's pet and it outgrew its tank and rather than killing it, they decided to let it go. Aquatic pet owners need to know that not only releasing fish and other exotic aquatic animals into the wild is illegal, it can also be detrimental to native fish populations as well. We already have a severe problem with other aquatic invasive species such as zebra mussels and Asian carp. We don't need snakeheads to add to the problem."
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"Nothing is easier than spending public money. It does not appear to belong to anybody. The temptation is overwhelming to bestow it on somebody." - Calvin Coolidge

"I'm the guy that originally wrote the assault weapons ban" Joe Biden

[Todd]

This was found to be a 'giant' snakehead rather than a 'northern' snakehead. That good news for Tennessee because the Giant Snaehead is proabably incapable of surviving a Tennessee winter with our cooler water temps.

A theory that is probably re-inforced by this fish being found dead.
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"Nothing is easier than spending public money. It does not appear to belong to anybody. The temptation is overwhelming to bestow it on somebody." - Calvin Coolidge

"I'm the guy that originally wrote the assault weapons ban" Joe Biden

[Todd]

Snakehead Fish Not A Threat



January 31, 2006

A snakehead fish found dead in Shelby County has been determined to be of a species that poses no threat of infestation.

The TWRA Fisheries Division had been concerned that the voracious Asian breed might begin invading local waterways when reports of a 17-inch long snakehead fish surfaced in Memphis last month.

The fish was found in Poplar Tree Lake in the Meeman-Shelby State Park by off-duty deputy sheriff William Nelson, who has a B.S. degree in Biology and knew he had never seen a fish like it. Nelson said he had read about snakeheads in Maryland and Pennsylvania in news articles over the past year and suspected that the strange fish might be one. Park Manager Steve Smith reported the potential snakehead fish to the TWRA office in Nashville.

"My first thought was that someone had probably caught a bowfin which slightly resembles a snakehead in appearances," Assistant Chief of Fisheries Bobby Wilson said. "But it became obvious that Smith was relatively familiar with the identity of a snakehead fish."

However, after seeing a picture of the fish, Dr. Walter Courtenay of the U.S. Geological Survey said the species found in Memphis is a giant snakehead-a species that could not survive Tennessee winters.

Unlike the northern snakehead, the giant snakehead is a subtropical species, and just one among 29 different species of snakehead fish.

"This was somebody's pet that was discarded, and when the water got too cold, it floated up dead," Courtenay, who leads the USGS Snakehead Research Project, said. "It poses no threat whatsoever."

That was good news for the TWRA, which canceled plans to search the lake for more snakeheads.

Snakehead fish are native to China and Southeast Asia. The northern snakehead is a voracious predator with very few enemies and can decimate native fish populations. They can grow up to nearly four feet in length. Snakeheads can breathe air and can survive for up to four days out of water. They can also travel over land to new bodies of water by wriggling their bodies over the ground. Snakeheads are sold in the U.S. both as food in Asian markets and as pets. They are illegal to possess or transport in Tennessee and are listed as an "injurious to the environment" species.

"We dodged the bullet this time," Wilson said "but we may not be so lucky next time. Aquatic pet owners and the public in general need to be reminded that aquatic pets and plants should never be released into the wild. We already have a severe problem with other aquatic invasive species such as zebra mussels and Asian carp. We don't need snakeheads added to the problem."
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"Nothing is easier than spending public money. It does not appear to belong to anybody. The temptation is overwhelming to bestow it on somebody." - Calvin Coolidge

"I'm the guy that originally wrote the assault weapons ban" Joe Biden