Re: The Snakehead in MD

[jgarden2000 at juno_com]

> 
> Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2002 18:34:31 -0400
> From: Dwight <boukmn at mindspring_com>
> Subject: The Snakehead in MD
> 
> This situation really annoys me.  Yet again, we are faced with another
> man-made fish invasion threatening an ecosystem (this time, in MD).  
Yet
> again, a dumb bleeding heart aquarist decides to "mercifully" release
an
> exotic fish he doesn't want into new ecosystem.  It is reproducing and
is
> on the verge of causing havok.   

Snakeheads, depending on the species, can get like three feet long, and
are both predatory on fish they can eat, and aggresive to fish they
can't. 

> According to the reports we'er hearing the
> fish is very carnivorous and survives out of water for 3 days.   

I don't think that's exaggerated. I've heard of Asian chefs cutting off
fillets off of live Snakeheads--and the snakehead surviving until
practically half the fish was cut apart!

> It's no
> walking catfish, but it's bad enough.   

From what I have heard, it could be worse than walking catfish...

> Though the typical MSNBC crap about
> the fish being "flesh-eating" is a classic example of over-hype, the
fish
> is still a potentially serious problem.  
> 
> Does anyone know the fishes' native distribution?  

South-eastern Asia.

> Is it a temperate or
> subtropical fish?  If it is a tropical species this may well be all
over
> come Fall.  

Supposedly tropical, but they're so hardy I wouldn't put it past them to
survive the cold...

> Here in Florida, they dynamite stretches of water from time to
> time checking the percentages of natives vs. introduced species that
float
> up.  Curious to know why don't the Maryland authorities just wire and
nuke
> the whole pond with dynamite and be done with the problem?  

Because then you'd take care of the native fish as well. :-(



William

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ The Equarium ~
http://equarium.tripod.com
Aquarium photos ~ And more!
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ The Equarium ~
http://equarium.tripod.com
Aquarium photos ~ And more!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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