Snakehead
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SnakeheadAffiliation:RomulansType:Scout shipCrew complement:1Armament:2 disruptor cannonsDefenses:Deflector shields, cloaking deviceThe snakehead was a type of warp-capable scout ship employed by Romulans in the late 24th century. Despite its small size, it was heavily armed with twin retractable ventral-mounted disruptor cannons and featured double subthrusters. It was protected by deflector shields and a cloaking device, which could be reversed to project a false decoy image of the ship. It was operated by a single pilot.
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources officials are warning anglers that if the invasive Northern snakehead fish is caught in the Palmetto State, anglers should kill it immediately and by all means NOT release it back into the water.
\"Our first line of defense in the fight against aquatic invasive species, such as the Northern snakehead, is our anglers,\" said Ross Self, chief of freshwater fisheries with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). \"If South Carolina anglers catch a Northern snakehead, they should kill it immediately and report it to SCDNR.\"
Snakeheads, a native of Asia, have been reported in 14 states in the United States. The snakehead is a long, thin fish, similar in appearance to the native bowfin. They can get up to three feet in length. They have a long dorsal fin that runs along their whole back, and have a dark brown blotchy appearance. They can breathe air, and can survive in low oxygenated systems. The snakehead is a top-level predator fish, and its introduction poses a substantial threat to native fish populations.
Invasive species are often introduced through unauthorized release. Non-native invasive species such as the Northern snakehead have the potential to impact native species by competing for food and habitat. In South Carolina, it is unlawful to import, transport, sell, transfer, or possess any species of snakehead fish without a valid wild animal license.
Snakeheads are found in the Potomac River and several of its tributaries in Maryland and Virginia. They are originally native to China, Russia and Korea, and were likely introduced to the Chesapeake Bay watershed by local fishermen and exotic aquariums in the late 20th century. Due to their ability to breathe out of the water, snakeheads are capable of traveling over small pieces of land and into new bodies of water.
The northern snakehead's elongated body grows to 33 inches in length. It has tan, dark brown or black coloring with a mottled, snake-like pattern. Its long dorsal fin runs along most of its back. It has a large mouth with a protruding lower jaw and many teeth. Young snakeheads may be golden brown or pale gray, darkening as they grow older.
Snakeheads prefer to eat fish, but will also feed on frogs, crustaceans and small birds, mammals or reptiles. Once a snakehead is fully mature, other fish will make up over 90% of their diet, such as largemouth bass and white perch. Snakeheads typically feed in schools and prefer to hunt their prey in areas of low light.
While the northern snakehead has no natural predators in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, young snakeheads have been reported being carried away by large birds of prey, such as ospreys and eagles. However, once they have fully matured, northern snakeheads are not prone to predation.
Female snakeheads reach sexual maturity at two years old and can lay as many as 15,000 eggs one to five times per year. The eggs will hatch in one to two days. Larvae remain in the nest, which both parents guard. Larvae are nourished by a yolk that they absorb by the time they are less than one-third of an inch long.
After that, they feed mostly on insects, small crustaceans and fish larvae. Snakeheads are highly resilient to changes in salinity, temperature and diet, and can live out of water for up to four days. They will also lie dormant in mud during droughts. On average, the northern snakehead lives eight years in the wild.
Delaware: It is illegal to transport, purchase, sell, stock or possess live snakeheads in Delaware. Anyone who catches a snakeahed is encouraged to kill it and notify the Division of Fish and WIldlife by calling (302) 735-8653 or (302) 739-9914.
Maryland: It is illegal to possess, import or transport live northern snakehead. If you catch and want to keep a northern snakehead in Maryland, you are required to kill it. If you have any further questions about catching or harvesting snakeheads, please contact the Maryland Department of Natural Resources by calling (410) 260-8300.
Pennsylvania: Anglers who catch a snakehead are encouraged not to release it. It is illegal to introduce or import snakeheads into Pennsylvania waters, or to possess live snakeheads. If you catch a snakehead in Pennsylvania, please contact the Fish and Boat Commission at (610) 847-2442 or via email using this contact form.
Virginia: It is illegal to possess, import or transport live northern snakehead. The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries asks that all snakeheads be killed if possible. Any snakeheads in someone's possession must be dead.
In addition to a very wide diet of anything from small fish to plants and amphibians, the fish shows impressive resilience by breathing oxygen and hunting on land. One USGS biologist even reported seeing the snakehead slither on to land to catch a tree frog.
\"I'm sitting here in my office, and I'm looking at a poster of some of Florida's exotic freshwater fishes. And there's at least three or four others on there that I would consider more invasive than snakehead, but snakehead, the name is exciting, right\"
It is the first confirmed snakehead fish in Southwestern Pennsylvania, according to Kris Kuhn, chief of the fisheries management division for the commission. The invasive fish has a snake-like appearance with its sleek shape and pattern of coloring. It is known to reside only in the southeastern corner of the state, according to the agency.
Native to China, Russia and South Korea, the snakehead is a predatory fish that competes with native fish for food, potentially impacting their populations. Pennsylvania law prohibits the possession, sale, purchase and transport of live snakeheads.
The origin of snakeheads in Pennsylvania is unknown, Parker said. They were likely introduced through the pet trade or food industry. Once a popular freshwater aquarium fish, snakeheads may have been dumped into local waterways by pet owners who no longer wanted them, establishing a breeding population, Parker said.
The commission is asking local anglers to keep an eye out for the snakehead fish, report it to them, and to keep the dead specimen frozen for later examination. The southwest region office can be reached at 814-445-8974.
\"I'm fortunate that I have the open kitchen,\" Mills said. \"So guests pop by and give me their two cents. And most of the time it's, 'I had the snakehead! I've never had snakehead! Snakehead is delicious! They want to try something different. You're at a restaurant, you're going out, and you try it and realize this scary thing that you've seen pictures of is actually a light flaky elegant flavored fish.\"
\"As a chef, it's really nice to be able to say 'Oh no, you pull as many of these out of the water and kill them and cook them and eat them as much as humanely possible.' That's great for me,\" Mills said. \"So snakehead has been a staple on this menu for a long time. And even when I have to take it off for availability, guests still come in and ask for it.\"
The giant snakehead is the largest in the family Channidae, capable of growing to over one meter in length (three feet) and a weight of over 20 kilograms (40 pounds). They are predators, and they can consume organisms ranging from small fish to other snakeheads.
At least two years before the discovery of a northern snakehead in a Crofton pond in 2002, the exotic, predatory fish from East Asia was already colonizing the Potomac River, says John Odenkirk, a Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologist. Today, \"they can be found anywhere\" in the tidal Potomac, he says, \"but they prefer shallow, sluggish backwater with a lot of vegetation.\"
That's an apt description of Little Hunting Creek, a small tributary of the Potomac just upstream from Mount Vernon. At that snakehead hotbed, biologists with VDGIF are conducting surveys to find out just how many of the fish live there. That will give them a baseline for future population studies of a fish labeled by many as an exotic invasive species.
To count the slippery intruder, the state agency uses a mild electrical shock from an electrofishing boat, or stunboat, to temporarily anesthetize fish. That may put the snakeheads to sleep, but it spawns adventure for the biologists.
Consider this scene from a recent survey: A snakehead lunges onto shore to escape the voltage that has dazed a dozen lesser fish. Odenkirk vaults from the boat's bow railing onto a high dock in an effort to capture the fish, which is flip-flopping among bleached driftwood and last year's reeds. The eight-foot pole supporting Odenkirk's dip net is just long enough to reach the fish before it can flop back into the water.
A watery cloud of sediment and bubbles reveals a snakehead's reaction to the electrical current. The biologists thrust their nets where experience tells them a snake is. They sometimes retrieve a net full of mud, but most of the time they hit their mark.
Odenkirk nets an 11-pound fish and gently drops it into the bottom of the boat, where it lies quietly alongside other snakeheads, waiting for a thread-like orange plastic tag to be anchored in the muscle beside their dorsal fins. Snakeheads are survivors. One fish netted by Odenkirk's team seems to be thriving even after having its gills cut earlier by an angler. \"They are obligatory air breathers,\" says biologist Steve Owens. After surfacing to take a gulp of air, they draw it across a strange-looking brachial chamber at the
When water levels drop dangerously low, snakeheads are prepared. The thick mucus covering their skin helps them avoid desiccation. \"They are the slimiest fish you've ever seen in your life,\" says Odenkirk. 59ce067264