Since that fateful day in 2002 when the first “frankenfish” was discovered in a pond in Crofton in Anne Arundel County, we’ve wondered exactly what would be the impact of a new invasive species taking hold in our local waters.
People were right to be concerned. Now, snakeheads, as they are commonly called, can be found just about anywhere there’s fresh water. Or, for that matter, brackish water, tidal water and even in territory once thought off-limits to them, such as the tributaries of the upper Chesapeake Bay.
When snakeheads were introduced to the Potomac River and thrived in that environment, many people thought it would be doomsday for our popular gamefish, the largemouth bass. Here’s a kick in the pants: Largemouth bass aren’t a native species either.
Tales abounded of the fish that could breathe air and walk on land. As the story goes, when they finished eating all the bass in the river they’d walk out of the water and down to the bus stop to eat all the children, too. The reality is snakeheads aren’t the disaster we once feared they would be. Continue reading at somdnews.com > http://www.somdnews.com/enterprise/sports/outdoors/snakeheads-are-here-to-stay/article_119468bb-8095-5501-bdf3-cdcde5b75a7d.html