Maryland sees end to snakehead fish saga
Date: 09-Sep-02
Country: USA
Snakeheads, which are native to China, grow up to 3 feet (1 metre) long and can slither across land in search of food. They have a voracious appetite and gobble up other fish, frogs and even their own young.
Since Rotenone poison was sprayed on Wednesday morning on the four-acre (1.5-hectare) pond in Crofton, Maryland, several hundred 4-inch (10 cm) baby snakeheads have died, said a spokeswoman for Maryland's Department of Natural Resources.
"We are pretty hopeful that most of the fish are dead by now," she said.
About 800 pounds (363 kg) of dead snakeheads, sunfish, crappies and other gill-breathing critters have been scooped out of the pond so far, including a 19-inch (48 cm) adult snakehead. More dead fish that sank to the bottom of the pond are expected to float to the top in a few days when they start decomposing.
The state's use of Rotenone, which blocks oxygen from getting into the fish's blood, has drawn criticism from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. While the animal rights group agreed that the snakeheads should be destroyed, it wanted the state to use a more humane method.
The U.S. Interior Department has proposed banning the import and trade of live snakeheads.
The snakeheads were dumped into the Maryland pond by a local resident who bought them from a New York City market to make soup for a sick relative. When the relative got better, the unneeded fish were released into the pond and reproduced.