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Snakeheads threaten state waters
Nasty Asian fish could spread to Hudson River, Great Lakes if not halted
By BRIAN NEARING, Staff writer
First published in print: Thursday, September 3, 2009
WAWAYANDA -- The state is taking a second pass to eradicate a sharped-tooth invasive Asian predatory fish -- capable of getting out of the water and moving on land -- from a creek in Orange County.
Aquatic poison applied last summer at Ridgebury Lake failed to kill all of the northern snakehead, an air-breathing fish native to China, Russia and Korea, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said.
Two of the fish were recently found by DEC near a remote small dam on the Catlin Creek, which feeds the lake. Another round of poisoning is now planned for October. DEC has scheduled a public meeting 7 p.m. Sept. 16 at the Wawayanda Town Hall
First discovered in Maryland in 2002, snakeheads have spread to New York, Massachusetts, California, Virginia, New York, and Lake Michigan at Chicago, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The only other infestation in New York state is confined in Queens, according to DEC
Capable of growing to at least three feet long and weighing 15 pounds, the fish have no natural predators in the United States and are voracious feeders using sharp teeth like that of a pike to capture prey.
Adults prefer to eat other fish but will eat frogs, crustaceans and even small reptiles, birds, and mammals. They remain close to shore, typically under aquatic vegetation, and are most active at dusk and dawn, feeding very near the shore.
Able to breathe air for up to four days, the torpedo-shaped fish also can spread from one water body to another by moving across the ground.
Snakeheads are believed to have been introduced into American lakes and river by aquarium owners who dumped unwanted fish and people who released fish in hopes of creating a local food source, USFW said. The fish is considered a delicacy in Chinese and Thai cooking.
Currently, snakeheads are sold in live fish food markets and some restaurants in Boston and New York. USFW reports that live specimens have been confiscated by authorities in Alabama, California, Florida, Texas and Washington, all states where possession of these fish is illegal. Also, snakeheads are readily available for purchase over the Internet.
DEC anticipates treating the entire Catlin Creek area in one day. Because no native species of fish were re-stocked in the creek, few if any are expected to be killed. Animals without gills will not be harmed.
Rotenone is an extract from several different tropical plants and breaks down rapidly after application with no lasting toxicity. DEC plans on restocking the area with fish after treatment.
In August 2008, DEC applied the aquatic pesticide rotenone to Ridgebury Lake, and later removed about 200 dead snakeheads.
If snakeheads spread from the creek back into the lake, there is a risk they could reach the Walkill River, which drains into the Hudson River. That could lead to widespread infestation through the Champlain Canal and into the Great Lakes through the St. Lawrence River.
not goodSnakeheads threaten state waters
Nasty Asian fish could spread to Hudson River, Great Lakes if not halted
By BRIAN NEARING, Staff writer
First published in print: Thursday, September 3, 2009
WAWAYANDA -- The state is taking a second pass to eradicate a sharped-tooth invasive Asian predatory fish -- capable of getting out of the water and moving on land -- from a creek in Orange County.
Aquatic poison applied last summer at Ridgebury Lake failed to kill all of the northern snakehead, an air-breathing fish native to China, Russia and Korea, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said.
Two of the fish were recently found by DEC near a remote small dam on the Catlin Creek, which feeds the lake. Another round of poisoning is now planned for October. DEC has scheduled a public meeting 7 p.m. Sept. 16 at the Wawayanda Town Hall
First discovered in Maryland in 2002, snakeheads have spread to New York, Massachusetts, California, Virginia, New York, and Lake Michigan at Chicago, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The only other infestation in New York state is confined in Queens, according to DEC
Capable of growing to at least three feet long and weighing 15 pounds, the fish have no natural predators in the United States and are voracious feeders using sharp teeth like that of a pike to capture prey.
Adults prefer to eat other fish but will eat frogs, crustaceans and even small reptiles, birds, and mammals. They remain close to shore, typically under aquatic vegetation, and are most active at dusk and dawn, feeding very near the shore.
Able to breathe air for up to four days, the torpedo-shaped fish also can spread from one water body to another by moving across the ground.
Snakeheads are believed to have been introduced into American lakes and river by aquarium owners who dumped unwanted fish and people who released fish in hopes of creating a local food source, USFW said. The fish is considered a delicacy in Chinese and Thai cooking.
Currently, snakeheads are sold in live fish food markets and some restaurants in Boston and New York. USFW reports that live specimens have been confiscated by authorities in Alabama, California, Florida, Texas and Washington, all states where possession of these fish is illegal. Also, snakeheads are readily available for purchase over the Internet.
DEC anticipates treating the entire Catlin Creek area in one day. Because no native species of fish were re-stocked in the creek, few if any are expected to be killed. Animals without gills will not be harmed.
Rotenone is an extract from several different tropical plants and breaks down rapidly after application with no lasting toxicity. DEC plans on restocking the area with fish after treatment.
In August 2008, DEC applied the aquatic pesticide rotenone to Ridgebury Lake, and later removed about 200 dead snakeheads.
If snakeheads spread from the creek back into the lake, there is a risk they could reach the Walkill River, which drains into the Hudson River. That could lead to widespread infestation through the Champlain Canal and into the Great Lakes through the St. Lawrence River.
