Snakeheads ! You florida people, how come I've never seen any being cooked here ?

[Slanted88]

I'll get with my next/backyard neighbor...Cat is a officer...with the FWC....Now that weed control chit......Thought about making one of them weed harvester boats...Dad is retired from FWC...Kill all them bastards...weeds & invasive fish, he said. Thats why I like saltwater...No offense to ya'll that freshwater!

[crusty ol salt]

Virginia department of game and inland fisheries has a kill on sight order here too

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/snakehead-faq.asp

What should someone do if they think they've found a snakehead fish?

Before going fishing, anglers should familiarize themselves with the fish species found in Virginia. There are several native species including bowfin, lamprey, and American eel that look similar to the northern snakehead. For more information and assistance with learning the identifying differences between snakehead fish and native species, please see our "Do You Know The Difference?" information page. Any unusual fish needs to be reported to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. We have established a snakehead hotline that anglers can use to report snakehead fish (804-367-2925). Anglers are not required to report snakeheads nor are they required to kill them if caught, but the Department asks that the fish be reported and killed if possible. However, if an angler wishes to keep a legally caught northern snakehead, the fish must be killed to be in possession, and the angler must call the hotline and report the angler's last name, date of catch, location of catch and size. Kill the fish by:

removing the head,
separating the gill arches from the body, or
removing the internal organs and put it on ice as quickly as possible.

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/snakeheads.asp

If you think you've caught a snakehead...

Anglers who think they may have caught a snakehead fish are asked NOT to release it, but to call the Department's in-state toll-free, 24-hour Snakehead Fish Hotline at 1-800-770-4951 (out-of-state callers should call directly to 804-367-1258) for a positive identification of the fish. Use the "Do You Know The Difference?" fact sheet to learn how to identify a snakehead fish and how to distinguish one from the native species of bowfin and American eel.

They are also illegal to own in this state

Is it illegal to own a snakehead fish in Virginia?

Yes, it is illegal to own one without a permit. In 2002, the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries added the snakehead fish to the list of predatory and undesirable exotic species, making it illegal to possess a snakehead fish in Virginia without a permit issued by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Federal regulations enacted in October 2002 prohibit the importation of snakehead fish into the United States and prohibit interstate transport of these animals. Individuals who still own a live snakehead need to contact the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries immediately for proper disposal of the fish. Effective July 1, 2005, anglers who legally catch a snakehead may keep the fish to mount or eat providing they:

immediately kill the fish using one or more of the alternatives list


Lately we have been noticing bite marks on many of the fresh water panfish catch it is a topic of many a boat ramp conversations if these bite could be snakefish related. however i know of no one admittedly catching one locally.

additional note they ARE NOT feeling a place in the food chain left open by alligator gar. they are a nasty alien fish upsetting the our natural environment. our alligator gar population in just fine here is my state citation 42.5 in alligator from last trophy gar season

[Richtee]

immediately kill the fish using one or more of the alternatives list

kinda worrisome that it might take more than one of the alternatives...

[crusty ol salt]

this video maybe be disturbing to many a sportsman or woman on this site. it does show how sick and twisted some humans are and what they consider sport and fun. it also show how violent this nasty alien fish the snakehead is. also notice how the snakehead gulps and discharges air during the attack which is interesting

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WPGmvemG6fk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[MichChef]

If they're anything like that movie trailer, it looks like Rich may need to dust off some of his skills that he doesn't use anymore.

[erain]

They're out there---Believe me!!!

Here's Proof!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn_A7...eature=related


Consider yourselves WARNED !!!
Bear

anyone notice the weber kettle at :34 seconds???

[curious aardvark]

oh yeah the whole feeding them live goldfish deal. Saw some videos of that.
yes it's disturbing, but no worse then people bow or spear fishing.
Sometimes alittle perspective is required.
I don't approve of causing any animal unnecessary pain (as opposed to necessary pain ? yeah well). If you plan on eating something then kill it as quickly and cleanly as possible.

Also given that a lot of anglers do not immediately kill fish they plan to keep upon capture and either leave them in open air or a few inches of water to slowly asphyxiate - feeding a few goldfish to a predator is kinda mild in comparison.

additional note they ARE NOT feeling a place in the food chain left open by alligator gar. they are a nasty alien fish upsetting the our natural environment. our alligator gar population in just fine here is my state citation 42.5 in alligator from last trophy gar season

Then that is an unusual state. Across most of it's former range alligator gars are reported to be in decline.
And looking at the little ones in your picture crusty - alligator gars can grow up to 15 feet and weigh 300lb - and they grow fast. If those little ones are what is currently considered to be 'specimen' fish. Then I think that speaks for itself.

Don't get me wrong snakeheads are very different, but when one predator is in decline then it's prey species tend to multiply and that's one reason the snakeheads are doing so well - lots of food around.

And yes they will attack pretty much anything even fish larger than themselves.

The northern snakeheads are larger than the bullseye snakeheads.

he Northern snakehead (Channa argus) is a type of snakehead fish native to China, Russia, North Korea and South Korea. In the United States, the fish is considered to be a highly invasive species. In a well-known incident, several were found in a pond in Crofton, Maryland in June 2002, which led to major media coverage and two movies about the incident, Snakehead Terror and Frankenfish.

Biology

Distinguishing features of the northern snakehead include a long dorsal fin with 49-50 rays,(Hogan, 2012) anal fin with 31-32 rays, small anteriorly-depressed head, eye above the middle part of the upper jaw, large mouth extending well beyond the eye, villiform teeth in bands, large canine on the lower jaw and palatines, length up to 40 inches (1.0 m), with one report of 60 inches (1.5m),[1] and weight up to 15 pounds (7 kg).

So well worth catching and EATING

[Bearcarver]

anyone notice the weber kettle at :34 seconds???

Yes!!----And you didn't see the Snakehead fish go anywhere near the Weber, did you?!?!


Bear

[Bearcarver]

Anybody ever notice how all the bad things seem to come from Asia???

Snakeheads
Asian Carp
Hong Kong Flu
Asiatic Flu
Bird Flu
Etc


OOOOOPS---Missed one in the News Today:
Asian Cannibal shrimp: The invasion has begun

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/c...165542739.html


Bear

[CFAIST]

The snakehead is a detrimental species to our freshwater fish. They are hyperaggressive and the northern snakehead can adapt to colder temps. My biggest issue is they kill just to kill. Alot of the time they don't eat it. They have been caught as far north in the missippi as wisconsin. Definatly don't need them getting into our small ponds and rivers. There are plenty of big pike and muskies, But If they eat all the little ones eventually there wont be any game fish. I have heard they are tastey though so if i ever happen to catch one I will be killing it and eating it.

[curious aardvark]

lol actually bear the worst thing to hit the english river system in recent years is the american signal crayfish.

Apparently they breed like genetically engineered rabbits and out compete with the native crayfish.

I don't care about that - the worst thing about the invasion is that the dumb asses at the environmental department will not let you trap the crayfish.

In some rivers it's possible to trap over 100 a day on a ten metre stretch of river.

But the argument goes: 'if people catch the big crayfish, then it just leaves more room for the smaller ones to grow big'.
Not if I'm eating them it bloody doesn't.

The other argument is that people might trap the native crayfish (smaller and very rare and been illegal to trap them since I was a wee sprog) well then they can put the small grey ones back and just keep the big red better eating ones.

So because you need a special licence to trap them and it's not possible to get one in most counties - they are spreading and thriving in most of the countries river systems.
Strangely enough leaving them alone and hoping they'll go away - hasn't worked

sometimes environmentalists are simply just mental.

So while I can't go and trap american crayfish - you lot CAN catch and eat snakeheads. And if you are a fisherman - it's practically your duty so to do :-)