Angler Catches Snakehead in Virginia

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) reported that a snakehead fish was caught by an angler in Little Hunting Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River, near Mt. Vernon on Friday, May 7, 2004.

The angler reported it to a fisheries biologist with the Department who took the fish for further identification. VDGIF has confirmed that the 12-inch fish is a northern snakehead. A team of fisheries biologists from the Department conducted a sampling survey in the area where the snakehead was caught. No other snakehead fish were found. The electrofishing technique used did reveal a diverse community of 22 species, including healthy populations of largemouth bass and naturalized goldfish. This information, along with the size of the snakehead found, leads VDGIF biologists to believe that this could be an isolated case of an aquarium fish being released into the wild, although the source of the fish is still undetermined. “We appreciate the responsible actions of the angler who caught this fish. He suspected it was a snakehead and he took appropriate steps to alert us which allowed us to respond swiftly,” said VDGIF Director William L. Woodfin, Jr.

Anyone with a snakehead fish should contact the nearest Fish and Game office immediately to ensure compliance with state laws and regulations. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has added all species of snakehead fishes in the Channidae family to the list of injurious fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. By this action, the Service prohibits the importation of the fish into the US. Anglers who think they may have caught a snakehead fish are asked NOT to release it, but to contact the nearest Fish and Game office or the Department of Environmental Protection for a positive identification of the fish. The VDGIF is encouraging anglers to visit its Web site at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/snakehead_id.html to view a fact sheet illustrating how to identify a snakehead fish and how to distinguish one from the native species of bowfin and American eel.