If you catch this creature in the US , chop off its head directly . That ’s the substance coming from wildlife authorities who are attempting to contain the invasion ofnorthern snakehead fishin Missouri and many other land .
In a novel proclamation , the Missouri Department of Conservation ( MDC ) is reminding anglers that northern snakehead Pisces are prohibited in the state and it ’s illegal to import , exportation , buy , betray , or have the Pisces . In fact , if you happen to encounter one in the wild , the MDC advises killing it like a shot by cutting off its question and gutting it .
Here ’s what they instruct if you catch a northern snake-head in Missouri :
Invasive northern snakehead (Channa argus) on measuring board.Image credit:USFWS(Public Domain)
“ Northern snakehead fish are highly invasive and could reduce population of the sportfish Missourians have it away to catch . monkfish can put up us valuable data on the location of this species by reporting seizure , ” Angela Sokolowski , an Invasive Species Ecologist at the MDC , said in astatement .
TheUSGShas antecedently published similar advice for captured snakehead fish in the full state . Instead of decapitation , though , they recommend killing the fish by freezing it or putting it on ice for an extended distance of time . irrespective of the method of kill , most US wildlife authorities accent that the fish should not be returned to the barbarian alert .
The northerly snakehead Pisces the Fishes ( Channa argus ) is aninvasive speciesthat is not native to North America . Naturally found in the lakes and ponds of Russia and East Asia , the freshwater species has managed to make it and thrive in the US over the last two tenner , using their highly aggressive behaviour to hunt aboriginal wildlife and outcompete local piranha .
The metal money were being sold in favored computer storage , grocery store , and some restaurants in several major US metropolis , which likely explain how they entered the country .
With a psyche that closely resembles a snake , this fish hold out up to its name in both appearing and conduct . Its dead body can grow up to 1 measure ( 3 feet ) long , cloak in python - like pattern that heighten its reptilian look . It can even wriggle across the solid ground like a snake . Although technically a bony Pisces , it can breathe air , provide it to go in oxygen - short waters . It can even live out of water for several days as long as its pelt stay moist .
They werefirst documentedin the US during the summer of 2002 when a fisherman catch up with a live specimen at a pond in Crofton , Maryland . biologist were promptly dispatched to Crofton Pond and fill it with piscicide ( a substance poisonous to fish ) . This distinctly was n’t the conclusion of the story , though . The team found the pond was home to thousands of juvenile shellflower and it was afterwards apparent that the universe was n’t limited to the local region .
Missouri may be sound the alarm now , but institute breeding populations of the Pisces already exist in several other US states , including Virginia , Maryland , Pennsylvania , and New York .
As a highly belligerent and invasive specie , the facing pages of northern snake-head has evoke fear about their potential impact on native ecosystems . However , the extent of that impact rest unclear . Ecosystems are fabulously complex , and it ’s often difficult to gauge how they ’re reply to commotion like the introduction of a new species .
This precariousness has activate some argumentation , withsome critics questioningwhether the KILL KILL KILL , zero - tolerance stance on northern turtlehead might not be totally necessary . Still , for now , authorities seem to agree that the potential risk is n’t one deserving taking .
