![]() ![]() They did so right after one was reported caught in Lake Wylie. One state, North Carolina, has taken action against the purchase, sale, transporting or possession of snakehead fish. But they don't have teeth and prey on so many other aquatic species. We already had the walking catfish here in Florida, another species that can move across land to invade additional waters. But as has happened with numerous negative species in our outdoor world, hobbyists keep them for a while, then soft-heartedly release them to live on. If snakeheads had been kept in aquariums they would not have become injurious. How could this happen when the Lacey Act in 1981 prohibited the importing of injurious mammals, birds, fish or reptiles? ![]() The snakehead is a predator, preying on any aquatic species it can bite, kill and engulf. Our national Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that over 16,000 snakeheads were legally admitted to our country from 1997 to 2000. Snakeheads began arriving in the United States about 30 years ago, intended to be sold in Asian food markets here. How do these menacing critters get here all the way from Asia and Africa? They are an affliction brought among us by hobbyists, people who buy curious creatures from local market places. It is a native of Asia and Africa, can grow as big as 15 pounds, has two jaws full of mean teeth and if it doesn't like the water it invades, it can "fin" itself across dry land to another body. The snakehead is a durable, all-season species that has spread from Maine to Florida, even in far-away Hawaii. The snakehead is a toothy predator that looks similar to our native bowfin, also called a dogfish (more on this later). The latest to loom on our outdoor stage is the snakehead fish. Every now and then a villain emerges to threaten certain wildlife species, even some of us at times. ![]()
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