Snakehead Fish Bounty Offered in Maryland

By Myles Collier, Christian Post Contributor Monday, April 09, 2012

To combat a non-native fish that has taken over local waterways in Maryland and is causing great harm to local fish populations, a cash reward has been offered to anyone able to catch it.

Anglers are hoping that the fish at the end of their lines is the notorious snakehead fish which in recent years has decimated the local bass fish populations by hunting in traditional bass spawning grounds.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources Inland Fisheries (DNR) is offering any angler a $200 gift card per fish that they are able to catch. In order to redeem the bounty, anglers need to upload a picture of themselves with the fish to the DNR's Anglers Log site.

"We do not want snakeheads in our waters," said Don Cosden, Director of DNR. "This initiative is a way to remind anglers that it is important to catch and remove the invasive species of fish."

The snakehead fish is a "non-native air-breathing freshwater fish," according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Snakeheads are native to parts of Asia and Africa, but wildlife officials have found four species of the fish in California, Florida, Maine, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland and Rhode Island.

There are several states that have outlawed the possession of the snakehead fish including Alabama, California, Florida, Texas and Washington. And in Maryland it is illegal for a person to "import, transport or introduce" snakeheads or their eggs into the state.

The snakehead fish is called so due to the enlarged scales found on their head as well as a protruding lower jaw containing rows of sharp "canine-like teeth," according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.

What makes this fish unusual is its ability to survive for a short period of time out of the water. The fish is able to live up to four days out of the water, allowing it to migrate to other water habitats.

Snakeheads are able to breathe out of water because they have an "air bladder that works as a primitive lung," according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.