Snakehead in Arkansas

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dbasketman	Snakehead in Arkansas	Lead	[-]
Posts: 2098 (04/30/08 03:23) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : None Like we did'nt have enough to worry about, now we have another invasive species in Arkansas waters ! A fish farmer apparently imported some of these fish before it was illegal, and they have gotten out into ditches along with the lower White river, which also means they will have access to the Arkansas, Mississipi, and related backwaters along these rivers..................I've not spoken to our black bass program biologist yet, but i bet the AGFC isn't a bit pleased with the news. With the flooded conditions we've seen this year these fish will have ample opportunity to colonize in a number of areas in southeast Arkansas. This is unfortunate, and hopefully the fish will meet their demise by some natural predator in these rivers. I understand they can actually survive for awhile out of the water, and can relocate short distances by actually "walking" to new habitat ! Sounds like racoon food to me ! D. Northern snakehead makes Arkansas arrival April 29, 2008 http://www.agfc.com/news/current-news.aspx?newsID=59 Last Edited By: dbasketman 04/30/08 03:26. Edited 1 time.
lreddmann		#1	[-]
Posts: 146 (04/30/08 03:40) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	D, I saw a National Geographic special on these dudes and we do not want them. They are bad news. I thought they had done a pretty good job of isolating it to the NE and Eastern part of the US, but guess I was wrong. They actually traced the US Origins to oriental fish markets illegally importing them into the US. This is a bad deal.
Mike Whitten	A horror movie--Snakeheads versus the Giant Jumping Carp	#2	[-]
Posts: 58 (04/30/08 03:59) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	This just suxxx! Maybe we can get lucky, and the toothy monsters will eat all the silver carp that got loose in the Miss river with the previous floods. Something sure needs to get rid of them. Mike Whitten
ward		#3	[-]
Posts: 833 (04/30/08 05:26) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Is there any way that we can convince Difulco and everyone else down there that they taste good in gumbo? I'd give 'em 2 weeks max. Would never make it through the Breaux Bridge Festival.... There'd be little wooden boats with dudes muttering bad French all over south Arkansas within the next 2 weeks. If we got lucky they'd eat woodpeckers too....
Bass Cat Boats		#4	[-]
Posts: 11531 (04/30/08 06:10) Registered User Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Dbasketman, The AG&F is on top of this issue as best as they can be at this point. This was a topic in house this morning. BCB
lad		#5	[-]
Posts: 266 (04/30/08 09:49) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Ward--eating Peckerwoods--yum-yum. Maybe the nutria-rats will become fisheaters and have some easy pickins
SAMRUSH		#6	[-]
Posts: 927 (04/30/08 09:52) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I think I saw ole SNAKEHEAD at the OI, was driving a red basscat!!! LAD, you always get it right- it's peckerwoods!!! Last Edited By: SAMRUSH 04/30/08 09:54. Edited 1 times.
PumaTrac		#7	[-]
Posts: 35 (05/01/08 11:09) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I saw the report on them from your fish and game. The only thing I can say is kill everyone you come across. They can destroy your fishery. There is no way to catch and remove them now that they're there. It's a matter of control now. Good luck! We've got the same problem in Virginia and fish and game is telling us to kill them.
mojorig	Snakeheads	#8	[-]
Posts: 64 (05/01/08 08:59) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Well I just got back from there. I have been there all week chasing them in ditches and swamps. I have had my AGFC truck stuck and put it in places it shouldn't have been. I have also lauched our electrofishing boat in places people said it isnt possible to get a boat into. We have jumped logs and beaver dams (some that we had to get on plane to get over) to get into areas to look for them. I have motored on plane into shallow vegetative flats to sample then turn around and push pole out. While the situation is bad it isnt as bad as the media is making out to be. We dont think they are in the White River yet, there is alot of unfavorable habitat inbetween were we found them and the White River. They were found in very shallow ditches with no current and lots of vegetations. We have only found two outside the farm were they were first found. In that farm we found around 100 in a series of ditches. All of those ditches have been killed out. Outside that farm, we found two. One just down stream from that farm and one about two or three miles down stream. The saving grace is the creek we found them is in vegetative however, it flows into a bigger creek that has no vegetation and lots of current, which the snakehead dont like!!! Just know that the AGFC is doing all we can do to stop the spread of these fish into other areas and will continue the process of looking for them. While there is still ALOT we dont know about the situation we are using all resources to gather more info. Jeremy Last Edited By: mojorig 05/01/08 09:10. Edited 1 times.
john1112		#9	[-]
Posts: 323 (05/01/08 09:04) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Good job Jeremy. God Bless you guys!
Bass Cat Boats		#10	[-]
Posts: 11547 (05/01/08 10:38) Registered User Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	We know your working hard on it and we need a SWAT team of biologists there hacking, dumping rotenone, netting and shocking all the areas possible. As important as this is, we must act hard and fast. Reaction now is key.
dbasketman		#11	[-]
Posts: 2106 (05/02/08 08:19) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Thanks for the update Jeremy. I know all of you guys are worn out, and we appreciate all you do for us ! Anything we can do to help just give us a shout. Know some bowfishers would relish the opportunity, and i have a little experience with rotenone, shhhh. I hope the fish can be contained, but we must always plan for the worst case scenario. Thanks to the AGFC for acting quickly on this, and please update us on your progress. D.
garyh69		#12	[-]
Posts: 31 (05/02/08 07:52) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Gents, Not to water this down but I have lived in Maryland for several years before recently moving to Memphis area. When snakeheads were found in Maryland and eventually in the Potomac, dire consequences were predicted. It was said to be the end of fishing as we know it and it was inevitable that they would wipe out the food source. Well fast forward five years and it really didn't have an impact at all in fact I have tried on many occasions to catch one and never have. As per the other posts, if you catch one you will want to kill it or turn it into the game and fish. However if the past is any indication it shouldn't be a big problem.
Bass Cat Boats		#13	[-]
Posts: 11558 (05/03/08 08:56) Registered User Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	No one knows the impact yet of snakeheads, though silver carp were once not thought by some to be impactive on a resource. The Mississippi River is now evidence that an invassive species can harm a resource. They have impacted segments from hazards for recreation areas to spawning grounds. Snakeheads are ferrocious predators, and while we do not know the long term impact, there will be one. The White River tributaries do not have the extensive hydrilla and millfoil that the Potomac River has, thus they could be more impactive than we could imagine. The opinions of that impact in the Potomac is not firmed yet from a resource standpoint either. At this time they have adjusted fish habits in some tributaries and perhaps the population of some species of pan fish. Other than this we are in the very early stages of the infestation.

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Snakehead in Arkansas

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