Anglers in southeastern Missouri are encountering northern snakeheads more often. There have been at least 30 confirmed catches of the invasive fish species in the Show-Me State, the most recent one being just over two weeks ago in the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge.
Dave Knuth, fisheries biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, advises anglers on what to do if they catch a northern snakehead.
“Well, they can take it back with them. We suggest they don’t release the fish unharmed,” he told Missourinet. “We obviously can’t make people do that, but if you want to keep it, just make sure you are not transporting that fish alive, that it is dead.”
Northern snakeheads have a reputation as being delicious, which Knuth says is one of the reasons why it was originally imported to the U.S. He also warns anglers to not confuse the northern snakehead with the bowfin, which is native to Missouri.
“We don’t want people just killing (bowfins) because they look like Northern snakeheads. And there is a difference,” Knuth said. “The bowfin are not going to have that snake like appearance, like a python, that modeling, those those big dark brown blotches. Also their anal fin is much shorter, so the snakehead really has a really long dorsal fin and a really long anal fin.”
The northern snakehead can survive for several days above water, especially if they’re on damp ground. They will also eat almost anything — not just other fish, but birds and small mammals as well.
More information on the northern snakehead can be found on the Missouri Department of Conservation’s website.
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