To the editor:
Have you ever been out fishing and caught something that looked seriously wrong? You might have just encountered a northern snakehead, a nightmarish, sharp-toothed fish native to Asia, which has colonized U.S. waters. They eat other fish, out-compete native species, and throw ecosystems seriously out of whack. Yes, that means fewer bass, trout, and other fish that anglers like you actually want to catch. Oh, and they can survive—and walk (kind of)—on land. They’re pretty scary! It’s not all bad, though. There is one simple way you can combat this, and it’s not even hard: just kill that loser on sight.
According to the U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Service, the first confirmed discovery of a snakehead in the U.S. was in California in 1997. Among several other sightings, one was discovered right here in Massachusetts in the Canton Reservoir Pond a couple years ago. There are two theories of how they might have originally been introduced into U.S. wildlife. One idea is that they were released through live fish markets, as some people began raising and selling them there. The other hypothesis is that aquarium owners illegally released them. Luckily, in Massachusetts, they haven’t reproduced. However, that could change quickly if even one is released—they would proliferate and take over our lakes, rivers, and reservoirs.
If you’re out angling and catch a snakehead, don’t panic. Killing a snakehead is easy. All you have to do is place it on ice for an extended amount of time. If you want a quicker way, decapitation is also a solution, as it is a humane way to dispatch the snakehead. (Just make sure to take a photo and report to MassWildlife first at (508) 389-6300.)
Why should you kill it, you ask? Firstly, it’s illegal to release them back into the water. But there’s also perks in it for you. They are the ones competing with you for the other fish—and they regularly out-compete you, as they carry an extensive appetite almost for other fish, crustaceans, and basically anything that they can fit in their mouth. Even one caught out of the water is a huge threat removed for local ecosystems.
So, to sum it all up, if you catch one, here’s what you should do: don’t admire it, don’t hesitate, and definitely don’t give that dolt a second chance.
By Liam Chou
Wellesley Middle School 8th grader
