Snakeheads?

[scooper54]

Does anyone know if snakeheads have been reported in Missouri?   I know they're established as far north as Maryland and in the lower Potomac around D.C. The climate in those locations is not much different than Missouri, particularly southern MO, so I would assume they could survive Missouri winters.  Just curious . . .

[FishnDave]

From a 2019 article...one was found in MO....surrounding areas were sampled, but no others were located at that time.

https://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/angler-finds-new-invasive-fish-st-francis-river-floodwaters

 

[scooper54]

2 hours ago, FishnDave said:

From a 2019 article...one was found in MO....surrounding areas were sampled, but no others were located at that time.

 

Thanks for your answer and the link.  Like Asian carp, the snakehead will likely take hold in Missouri eventually.  In Virginia, if you catch a snakehead, by law you are required to kill it.  

[Ham]

13 hours ago, scooper54 said:

Thanks for your answer and the link.  Like Asian carp, the snakehead will likely take hold in Missouri eventually.  In Virginia, if you catch a snakehead, by law you are required to kill it.  

Snakehead are reaching the Mississippi River from Arkansas. It seems reasonable to assume that they will eventually reach up and down to areas suitable to them via the Mississippi.

They were detected in Missouri, but I don’t believe they are established yet. I do believe they might also reach Missouri via the Black and St Francis rivers. 
I have not looked into the laws of Virginia, but Lots of states now say you are not legally required to kill the snakehead you catch, but they must be released back into the water they were caught from. Completely illegal to transport them. AGFC strongly suggested  that I kill every one that I catch and made sure I knew that it was illegal to transport a live snakehead. FYI, they do not die on ice in a cooler. You MUST cut their throat or cut their head off. 
looking at the east coast, snakehead use water that most gamefish do not use. They find a niche habitat that can overlap with bass and other gamefish, but often only has Bowfin or Gar.

they are well established and expanding in Arkansas. Limited access to prime waters compared to East Coast, but you can go looking and find them. 

[WallBry88]

I reached out to the Invasive species biologist in Arkansas a while back. Not much that I know of in Missouri but Arkansas has an established population in the white river system.

I am intending to make a journey down that way sometime late spring early summer to see if I can get my hands on one

[Ham]

IF the flood waters ever recede, I want to try the Hurricane Lake WMA. It ought to be the Snakehead DMZ

[Johnsfolly]

On 3/28/2023 at 7:44 AM, Ham said:

I have not looked into the laws of Virginia, but Lots of states now say you are not legally required to kill the snakehead you catch, but they must be released back into the water they were caught from.

State of Virginia states: 

Anglers are required to report snakeheads kept but are not required to kill them if caught and immediately released.  Snakeheads must be dead if in possession (contained in live well, cooler, etc.)  However, the Department asks that all snakeheads be killed if possible. If an angler wishes to keep a legally caught northern snakehead, the fish must be killed to be in possession, and the angler must call the hotline or other DWR contact and report the angler’s last name, date of catch, location of catch, and size. Kill the fish by:

1. removing the head,
2. separating the gill arches from the body, or
3. removing the internal organs and put it on ice as quickly as possible.

In Maryland (most recent regulations; previously they were to not to be released alive):

Harvested snakehead must be killed immediately after being caught if there is intent to keep the fish. Possession and/or transport of live snakehead is illegal under state and federal law. If the angler does not intend on keep the fish, they may release it but must do so, immediately. Persons wishing to release a live snakehead may do so provided it is immediate and directly back into the waters from which it came. For those willing, we actively encourage the targeting and harvest of every snakehead caught.

[ollie]

Not sure why anyone would want to put one of those back into the water. I know around here if you catch a bighead carp, they want you to kill it immediately. Well, at least around Grand Lake they do.

[Johnsfolly]

@FishnDave I attached (tried to attach in case it won't open) the research in Blackwater refuge on the effects of snakeheads.

Here's a link to an article that has links to that paper (maybe; I could not open the link 🤔 )

Study: Fish Populations Drop Since Snakehead Invasion | Chesapeake Bay Magazine

FINAL_Blackwater-Fish-Community-Comparison.pdf

[Johnsfolly]

1 hour ago, ollie said:

Not sure why anyone would want to put one of those back into the water. I know around here if you catch a bighead carp, they want you to kill it immediately. Well, at least around Grand Lake they do.

Many folks out this way are treating them as gamefish. They get big and fight hard. Also live in less than great water conditions unlike more common gamefish. I personally am not an advocate of release unless it's in Lake Crisco😉