Eating the Invasive “Frankenfish” to Stop Its Spread
March 17, 2016 - Catch them and eat them? Invasive northern snakeheads first appeared in the United States around 2002. The snakehead's peculiar looks have prompted people to dub it the Frankenfish, and some scientists worry that it could create big problems for native fish species. To combat its rapid spread, U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials recommend complete removal—and consumption.
To read more about the snakehead, click here.
Todd Murphy
Fisherman
Snakeheads are a pretty smart fish, I think. I’ve seen them where they’ll stir up mud and they’ll sit there, and they won’t move they’ll stir up that mud to make camouflage, for theirself but then they won’t make any more mud so as the current washes the little mud cloud away they’re still sitting in the same spot.
Joseph Love
Fisheries Biologist
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Some people call them frankenfish, some people think that they look like a snake, that they’re ugly. It’s easier to encourage harvest for a species with a bad reputation. But I don’t think that allows us the right to do it without thought. That’s part of our job, is to not simply encourage people to harvest the animal but also to prevent invasive species from becoming introduced.
Josh Newhard
Fisheries Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
We as biologists don’t have the manpower to reduce the population that much, so we really need the help of anglers to do that.
Joseph Love
This tournament advertises a control method that the department is encouraging, so we’re encouraging complete removal and harvest. And more importantly we’re encouraging consumption.
Josh Newhard
It’s been about 10 years since they’ve been in the Potomac River, unfortunately they’ve pretty much traversed the river from Great Falls pretty much down to the mouth which is over 120 river miles. We just don’t know the impacts of this thing, it’s a large fresh water fish, one female can carry up to 100,000 eggs so they really have the chance to outcompete the fish that are in the ecosystem now. So that’s the main concern and that’s why it’s considered an invasive species.
