Snakehead cash.

[mikesxpress]

How you can cash in by finding tagged snakeheads in Maryland.
https://wtop.com/maryland/2022/05/ho...ds-in-maryland

https://www.fws.gov/project/northern...and-management

[AdamB]

Thanks for the info!

[Skincheese]

Why not just kill the bastards? Putting tags on the snakeheads and releasing them back into the water will only allow them to multiply more and I would imagine that some of these tags snakeheads will never be caught. Doesn't make much sense to me

[mikesxpress]

Having been on the Potomac river fisheries commission finfish board as a mid-river representative for a few years that encompassed the time the snakeheads were found in the Potomac water shed, I can confirm that the tracking of this fish as it has progressed throughout the system is very important in regards to management and development of eradication efforts. As with most invasive freshwater species, a complete eradication is impossible. The study can provide movement and locations/concentrations of fish during there spawn that may allow for net removal of spawning females in mass which can go a long way in limiting the numbers of the snakeheads in the river. The netting efforts in multiple locations in the river (Back of Aquia & Potomac creek as examples) so far have reduced the numbers of this fish in those areas significantly.

[Bjxds]

Having been on the Potomac river fisheries commission finfish board as a mid-river representative for a few years that encompassed the time the snakeheads were found in the Potomac water shed, I can confirm that the tracking of this fish as it has progressed throughout the system is very important in regards to management and development of eradication efforts. As with most invasive freshwater species, a complete eradication is impossible. The study can provide movement and locations/concentrations of fish during there spawn that may allow for net removal of spawning females in mass which can go a long way in limiting the numbers of the snakeheads in the river. The netting efforts in multiple locations in the river (Back of Aquia & Potomac creek as examples) so far have reduced the numbers of this fish in those areas significantly.

Interesting, makes sense they will never be eradicated. What are the overall impacts of the snakeheads and have they negatively impacted the Potomac fisheries?

When Frankinfish was first discovered gloom and doom were predicted.

[mikesxpress]

John Odenkirk, Virginia DWR fisheries biologist who schedules/performs the electrofishing/sampling in the Potomac would have the most current data on the head population.
john.odenkirk@dwr.virginia.gov