Kill This Fish!

An unidentified angler caught a 12-inch northern snakehead fish on the Maryland side of the Potomac River on Wednesday, May 12. This fish, an immature female hatched in 2003, is approximately the same size as the northern snakehead caught by an angler on May 7 in Little Hunting Creek, a Virginia tributary just across the river.

 Northern snakehead fish are not a typical aquarium species; they are usually associated with a live food market. They are considered highly invasive with the potential to quickly affect native ecosystems. Once established, eradication of invasive species may be impossible.