Authorities have pleaded with the public to help them get rid of invasive Chinese snakehead fish, also known as the northern snakehead, that can survive on land for several days.

As the Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resource Division of Georgia warned, the invasive species was found in one of the ponds and could spread to other water sources due to its high survivability.

The northern snakehead fish is native to Yangtze River basin and greatly threatens local species in the United States as they are known to be competitive when it comes to securing habitat and food.

“Our first line of defense in the fight against aquatic invasive species, such as the northern snakehead, are our anglers,” chief of fisheries, Matt Thomas, said in an interview with CBS 46.

“Thanks to the quick report by an angler, our staff was able to investigate and confirm the presence of this species in this water body. We are now taking steps to determine if they have spread from this water body and, hopefully, keep it from spreading to other Georgia waters.”

Confirming that the fish presents a real threat, the Wildlife Resource Division urged fishermen to kill all northern snakeheads they come across.

“Northern snakeheads are bad news. And for the first time, the invasive fish has been confirmed in Georgia waters,” they wrote in a Facebook post.

“If you believe you have caught a northern snakehead:

– DO NOT RELEASE IT.
– Kill it immediately and freeze it.
– If possible, take pictures of the fish.
– Note where it was caught (waterbody, landmarks or GPS coordinates).
– Immediately report it to your regional Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division Fisheries Office.”

What are your thoughts on this invasion? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE this post with your family and friends and follow us on Facebook for more news and stories!

 

Replaced!