Snakehead Caught In England
- Thread starter ronanphilip
- Start date
It happens occasionally here in the US where it is illegal to own them. Someone caught one not too far from where I love a year or two ago and they decided it was a bowfin and released it. They had taken photos and when they showed them to people, they realised what it really was. Wildlife officials confirmed it. They are a major problem and it seems like I read a while back that Pennsylvania ended up having to poison some lakes and ponds to irradicate all aquatic life just to get rid of them. They will literally clean a pond out and then move on to the next body of water.
We had the same thing here a few years ago but it was Geophagus brasiliensis that someone had released into a waterway. The gov went through and poisoned everything to try and kill them but it didn't work. They are still there but the native fish and animals are now dead.
The gov screwed that up. We think it was done by a gambusia collector. We used to be able to collect gambusia and sell them to the shops as feeder fish. Then after years of government departments releasing them into waterways they decided to make them a noxious species. Now no-one is allowed to collect them and they simply breed away to their hearts content.
There were about 20 collectors that did Perth and we would take out between 1+5000 fish per collector per week. All of a sudden these fish are being left alone and it doesn't take a mathematician to work out there are a lot more gambusia now than before the collecting ban.
If the gov hadn't banned collecting gambusia someone would have found the Geophagus sooner and they would not have done as well as they have. The collectors would be harvesting them to sell to the shops along with the gambusia.
The gov screwed that up. We think it was done by a gambusia collector. We used to be able to collect gambusia and sell them to the shops as feeder fish. Then after years of government departments releasing them into waterways they decided to make them a noxious species. Now no-one is allowed to collect them and they simply breed away to their hearts content.
There were about 20 collectors that did Perth and we would take out between 1+5000 fish per collector per week. All of a sudden these fish are being left alone and it doesn't take a mathematician to work out there are a lot more gambusia now than before the collecting ban.
If the gov hadn't banned collecting gambusia someone would have found the Geophagus sooner and they would not have done as well as they have. The collectors would be harvesting them to sell to the shops along with the gambusia.
maverickbr66
New Member
aside from the fact that invasives can compleatly screw up an ecosystem that is one cool looking fish.
Talleyrand
Fish Fanatic
6 or 7 years ago a local kid caught a 25 or 30lb Pacu in a local pond. It was the middle of July so the water temp was probably in the 70's F. He made the local paper,"Invasion of the FrankenFish"
For invasive fish species Florida and to a lesser extent Texas are probably the worst. 1965 to 2000 saw the fewest number of hurricanes in any 35 year period since the Spanish started keeping records in the late 16th century. Averaging one large storm every 5-6 years. During that time large tropical animal and fish suppliers built large complex's in Florida and Texas to feed the US appetite for exotic pets. Both legal and illegal. With the Gulf quiet, it was cheaper and easier just to grow the fish in the warmest US states instead of importing them.
Starting with Andrew in '94(?) and continuing through the dozen(?) named storms the Gulf of Mexico has had in the last few years many of these animal and fish farms were destroyed and the animals dispersed into the local area. Oscars, Jack Dempsey's, and other common aquarium fish are regularly found in Florida waterways. Washed out of fish growers ponds during a storm many of these species are flourishing and outcompeting native species, especially as conditions get warmer in Florida. These weren't instances where a single aquarist dumped 3-4 specimens in a local irrigation ditch. Storm surges washed 30,000+ Oscars at a whack into local rivers and lakes that the farms were using for water.
African Pythons, cobra's, and other reptiles are routinely caught in the Everglades, washed from illegal exotic animal farms. Most of the official state biologists claim they aren't breeding in the wild, but who's to say. People shoot the occasional monkey also
For invasive fish species Florida and to a lesser extent Texas are probably the worst. 1965 to 2000 saw the fewest number of hurricanes in any 35 year period since the Spanish started keeping records in the late 16th century. Averaging one large storm every 5-6 years. During that time large tropical animal and fish suppliers built large complex's in Florida and Texas to feed the US appetite for exotic pets. Both legal and illegal. With the Gulf quiet, it was cheaper and easier just to grow the fish in the warmest US states instead of importing them.
Starting with Andrew in '94(?) and continuing through the dozen(?) named storms the Gulf of Mexico has had in the last few years many of these animal and fish farms were destroyed and the animals dispersed into the local area. Oscars, Jack Dempsey's, and other common aquarium fish are regularly found in Florida waterways. Washed out of fish growers ponds during a storm many of these species are flourishing and outcompeting native species, especially as conditions get warmer in Florida. These weren't instances where a single aquarist dumped 3-4 specimens in a local irrigation ditch. Storm surges washed 30,000+ Oscars at a whack into local rivers and lakes that the farms were using for water.
African Pythons, cobra's, and other reptiles are routinely caught in the Everglades, washed from illegal exotic animal farms. Most of the official state biologists claim they aren't breeding in the wild, but who's to say. People shoot the occasional monkey also
invader
I'm a girl.
First of all, state biologist DO know that they are breeding in the wild. There are pythons, iguanas and whatever else may be out there and they are obviously breeding. Just take a walk through Miami.
The second sentence... well, I have to ask, where in the world did you hear that?!
That would be interesting. Hey dad I caught this funny looking fish shaped like a giant plate. I bet he had fun dragging it in and carrying it home
There was actually a pirahna caught very near my home less than a year ago (oddly enough that thread is below in the Similar Topics).
vonjankmon
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I live in Maryland in the US where we've had a infestation of these snake heads. Someone released a pair into a pond here and since they can flop/walk a ways across short areas of land they made it eventually into the rivers here also after that first pair began breeding like crazy. They've done some crazy things here to try and get them under control. Electrifying the water and explosives were my two eye rolling favorites.
Faythee
Fish Herder
Hmmmmm...I caught a fish a few months back that we could not identify. Looked in the fish book and it didn't match any of them. Looked kinda like a grouper. Now I wonder.
Someone I work with told me they had an Oscar and didn't know what to do with him so he let it go in the pond. He also said he put 2 goldfish in the tank and then wondered where they went ! Some people really shouldn't have fish. Doubt he cleaned the tank either.
Someone I work with told me they had an Oscar and didn't know what to do with him so he let it go in the pond. He also said he put 2 goldfish in the tank and then wondered where they went ! Some people really shouldn't have fish. Doubt he cleaned the tank either.
Talleyrand
Fish Fanatic
Andrew knocked out several illegal animal farms plus several 'ranches' breeding Green monkeys for CDC research. Thousands of monkeys flooded the countryside. '95 or '96 there were multiple places offering bounties for escaped primates. I have heard every once in awhile somebody in an airboat out in the Glades shoots a monkey that has somehow survived.
Talleyrand
Fish Fanatic
They've done some crazy things here to try and get them under control. Electrifying the water and explosives were my two eye rolling favorites.
They use poison here. Rotenone. Several Oregon lakes and rivers are infested with Tui Chubs
That could be a cool movie.
Bountyhunter.
He hunts them down because they don't belong in society. The evil and cunning, escaped lab monkeys.
There's a moral to that. Don't experiment on animals and you won't have to hunt them down when they escape. Experiment on criminals instead, or politicians. I think the latter would be better.
fishfishfish
Fish Herder
im waiting to hear of a snakehead getting caught up here in northern new york in like the stlawrance river or the hudson.i think the snakehead is just gunna be one of those things we just cant beat and will end up in most water systems eventually.
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