Snakehead fish found

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JANESVILLE, Wisconsin (AP) -- A carnivorous alien fish known for its voracious appetite and ability to wriggle short distances on land has been found in southern Wisconsin's Rock River.

The discovery of the 2-foot-long giant snakehead by the state Department of Natural Resources marks the first time the species, a native of Asia, has been found in Wisconsin waters, where officials said it may not survive the winter cold.

"This was a real wake-up call," said Mike Staggs, director of fisheries at the DNR.

The giant snakehead can grow to more than three feet in length, and fish managers say that with no natural predator, it could change the local fish population and introduce new diseases.

A year ago, wildlife officials in Maryland killed six adult and more than 1,000 juvenile northern snakehead, a close relative to the giant snakehead, found in a pond.

The DNR found the giant snakehead during a routine fish survey of the Rock River September 4.

The DNR said an employee misidentified the fish as a native bowfin. It was photographed and released before the DNR later concluded it was a snakehead.

Two crews were sent back to the river last Thursday and three more crews went back Tuesday to look for evidence of snakeheads but found none, Staggs said.

Staggs said the results indicate the fish does not appear to be widespread in the river, and the individual snakehead likely was released by a hobbyist after outgrowing an aquarium.

Releasing aquarium fish into the wild in Wisconsin is illegal.

It's unlikely the giant snakehead could survive the cold water of a Wisconsin winter, Staggs said.”

“It's his lucky day! he found a dollar!!!”

“so whos is up for a fishing trip to Wisconsin?”

“You killed my snakefish! Where am I going to find a long thin box?”

“"found a dollar," LOL!”

“I'll fish maple...but only if its endangered! :P”

“maple

old news. My inlaws live in WI near the Rock River. Saw that news a few months back in the local rag--the newspaper you can read standing up, IMHO.”

“go ahead, and when the fish turns around and bites ya on your ass I will be the fist one to laugh.”

“it may be old news but this is the first ive heard of it.”

“It's been discussed thouroughly in the great lakes region. If the snakeheads make it all the way to the great lakes there'll be trouble.”

“I guess you guys would know of this more first hand. It just popped up on the national news web sites today for some reason...”

“Slow news day?”

“There was a great bit of hooplah in Maryland a while ago about snakeheads in a pond.

It turns out some knucklehead had one in his aquarium and released it into the pond when it got too big(24 inches).

The DNR poisoned the pond and all is well in suburbia once again.”

“"It's been discussed thouroughly in the great lakes region. If the snakeheads make it all the way to the great lakes there'll be trouble............"

With this and the threat of those fishes "flying" up here in the Mississippi River, the region might be very different soon......”

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Man Pulls Pirahna From Catawba River

MOUNT HOLLY, N.C. -- A fisherman looking to catch a catfish for dinner instead reeled in a fish that glared its teeth and bit his knife.

Jerry Melton, 46, was fishing in the Catawba River last week when he caught what state wildlife officials later identified as a piranha, a South American carnivorous fish that lives in freshwater.

"When I got it on the bank I didn't really know what it was; I hadn't seen anything like it before," Melton said.

When Melton opened the fish's mouth with a pocketknife, he said the fish bit down and left an impression on the blade.

Wildlife officials told Melton on Saturday that he caught a 1 pound, 4 ounce piranha that was probably dumped in the river. Melton was fishing in Mount Holly, a town northwest of Charlotte.

The catch highlights the growing problem of people keeping exotic animals and fish as pets and later dumping them into local waters, said Paul Barrington, an ichthyologist with the Fort Fisher Aquarium. Earlier this year, another fisherman caught a snakehead fish -- also a nonnative fish -- in Lake Wylie near Charlotte.

"Releasing nonnative fish in our native waters is highly irresponsible because it could have a very adverse affect on the fish in that ecosystem," Barrington said. "Piranha and the snakehead fish have no predators in our waters."

Jacob Rash, a North Carolina Wildlife Resources biologist, said he believes the piranha was the first caught in the Catawba River and possibly the first in the region.

Melton, who is keeping the piranha in his freezer until he can have it mounted, said the experience will keep him out of the river's water.

"I've been fishing there my whole life," he said. "Catching something like that is definitely going to make me think twice about what's in that water."

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/13613749/detail.html”