WANTED

Name/Also Known As Northern Snakehead

Identifying Characteristics Long thin body, can grow about 47 inches and 15 pounds. Its head is
somewhat flattened with eyes that are located in a position that is awkward. It has tubular anterior
nostrils. As the name implies, the head of this scaled fish looks like a snake and it has a large mouth with
sharp teeth and protruding lower jaws. It can change color as it matures. The younger ones may be gold
tinted brown to pale gray in color, while older fish are generally dark brown with large black blotches. It
looks similar to the native burbot and bowfin. Spawns in June-July
Females can lay as many as 15,000 eggs one to five times per year
Eggs hatch in 1-2 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 on small crustaceans and fish larvae.
Young may be golden brown or pale gray, darkening as they grow older
Reaches sexual maturity at 2 years old
Crimes Committed The impact northern snakeheads will have on U.S. waters is largely unknown.
Like most other invasive species, these predatory fish compete with native species for food and habitat.
Juveniles feed on zooplankton, insect larvae, small crustaceans, and the fry of other fish. As adults, they
become voracious predators, feeding on other fish, crustaceans, frogs, small reptiles, and even birds and
mammals. Snakeheads have the ability to breathe air by using an air bladder that works as a primitive
lung, allowing them to survive for up to four days out of the water; they can survive for even longer
periods of time burrowed in the sediment. This unique adaptation and their ability to travel over land to
new bodies of water by wiggling their bodies over the ground, gives the snakehead a competitive edge
over other fishes in securing habitat and expanding its range.

Economic: Snakeheads eat anything that will fit in their mouths including fish, birds, frogs and small
mammals. Snakeheads have the potential to alter ecosystems and wipe out any fish that it comes into
contact with. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that just $85,000 worth of snakeheads have
already done millions of dollars in damage.

Last Seen Map:

Eastern Asia. It was released from fish markets
Suspected Hideouts

Reward The potential control methods for a snakehead infestation are limited, but vary with each
specific infestation site. Physical removal of the fish using nets, traps, angling, electrofishing or biological
control by introduction of predators are not likely to be successful for large infestations. If the
infestation is believed to be limited to a few individuals the above techniques may be successful in
removing the target organisms. However, even with a few individuals, it may be difficult to determine if
the eradication was 100% successful.
Anglers who catch a snakehead fish could win prizes worth up to $200 in the Maryland
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) second annual snakehead contest. Anyone who
removes at least one of the invasive, non-native fish from the Chesapeake Bays watershed has
the chance to walk away with prizes from Bass Pro Shops at Arundel Mills, the Maryland Park
Service, the Potomac River Fisheries Commission and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Biblography http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/snakehead.shtml
http://fishwild.vt.edu/snakeheads/Facts.html
http://www.anstaskforce.gov/spoc/snakehead.php
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/dnrnews/pressrelease2012/032812.asp