When an angler researched an odd fish he caught in Missouri, he quickly realized it was one seen only a few times in the state.
This fish, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation, is one you’re urged to kill on sight.
The Wayne County angler caught the northern snakehead fish May 25 below Wappapello Lake, officials said. It’s the fourth confirmation in the state of the invasive species, which is native to Asia.
“The angler recognized they had something different and researched the fish’s characteristics and realized it was indeed a snakehead,” Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries biologist Dave Knuth said in a May 31 news release. “The angler left it on the pavement for several hours thinking it would die, and it never did.”
Even four hours later, when a conservation agent arrived to pick the fish up, it was still alive.
There’s a reason why.
Northern snakehead fish can breathe air, which allows them to survive “out of water for several days” as long as their skin stays wet, officials said. They can slither across land due to their snake-like body.
Officials say the fish preys on native species and competes for their resources. This is why, conservation agents say, it’s important to kill the predatory creature.
If you catch a northern snakehead, you’re advised to kill it by severing its head or gutting it, officials said. But make sure to take photographs of it and report the fish to the department of conservation so the species can be positively identified.
National Geographic says the fish and has caused environmental problems after being introduced in the United States. It was first seen in Maryland and is still most common in the Northeast, but there have been increasing sightings in Arkansas in recent years, according to a database map by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Often confused with the native bowfin, northern snakeheads have a much longer fin, Missouri officials say. They can grow to about 33 inches and are often 10 to 12 pounds.
One was first found in Missouri in 2019 by an angler in Dunklin County, according to McClatchy News. Two more of the fish were captured in 2023.
“Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before we saw this species continue to spread in Missouri,” Knuth said in 2023, McClatchy reported.
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