Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Snakehead Surprise

No, it's not a new recipe...according to this report from the Washington Post, a fisherman caught a northern snakehead (Channa argus) in Pine Lake, located in a park in Wheaton, Maryland. The fish was about 18 inches long. No word yet about whether it was part of a breeding population of snakeheads, or just a lone release. Within the past two years, snakeheads have also been found in Wisconsin, and of course, Crofton Pond, also in Maryland.

Update: See the actual snakehead that was caught, brought to you by Yahoo! News and the AP.

Updated map of snakehead spread in the U.S. (fresh as of 5-16-2004!):

California: Silverwood Lake 1997, Assi Supermarket, L.A. 5-2004Florida: Upper St. Johns River 2000Wisconsin: Rock River 9-2003Massachusetts: Newton Pond in Shrewsbury 2001Maryland: Crofton Pond 6-2002, Pine Lake 4-2004Virginia: Little Hunting Creek 5-2004, Potomac River 5-2004North Carolina: Lake Wylie, Upper Catawba River 2002
Make your own maps at World 66