http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=1588
An angler claims to have caught a large tropical snakehead while fishing for pike in a river in Lincolnshire, England.
Andy Alder from Lincoln claims to have captured the 60cm/2’ long predator while using a sprat as bait for pike on the River Witham near North Hykeham, Lincolnshire, UK.
The fish, which is native to Asia, is believed to have been illegally dumped by a fishkeeper whose aquarium it had outgrown.
An Environment Agency spokesman told Practical Fishkeeping that it had not seen the fish to make a formal identification, but had received a photograph of the fish taken some time after it had died, and was able to confirm its identity as a member of the Channa genus.
Talk about bad timing
If snakehead imports do get restricted in the forthcoming Aquatic Animal Health Directive, we know which moron to blame, rants Matt Clarke. More»
The discovery sparked fears in the tabloid newspapers that the “savage fish” which has “even been reported to kill people” could start to breed in UK waters, as one member of the family has done in the USA.
However, the Environment Agency told Practical Fishkeeping magazine: "We think it’s a one off, dumped by a fishkeeper.
“We do not think that it is breeding there, and we do not plan to go and electrofish the area and look for any others.”
Snakeheads in the USA
The USA has seen Northern snakeheads, Channa argus, becoming established in its waters over the past few years, following their illegal introduction.
The species, which can reach over a metre in length, is a voracious predator, with powerful toothy jaws, and is native to Asia where it tolerates cooler water than most other Channa species.
However, the likelihood of the Lincolnshire snakehead being the cold-tolerant Channa argus is very slim.
The species has never been common in the aquarium trade and has been restricted from import under the Prohibition of Keeping or Release of Live Fish (Specified Species) Order 1998 ammendments of 2003.
The most commonly sold aquarium snakehead, the Giant snakehead, Channa micropeltes, grows to similar proportions but is a tropical species and is far less likely to be able to tolerate the current sub-zero nighttime temperatures.
[Update: Practical Fishkeeping has now seen a photograph of the fish and has identified it as the Giant snakehead, Channa micropeltes, approximately 45cm/18" in SL. This a tropical species, wouldn’t tolerate our winter and was probably dumped recently. It is extremely surprising to hear that the species was feeding in water as cold as it would be at the current time.]
Anglers’ reaction
Practical Fishkeeping has seen correspondence from the The European Anglers Alliance which calls for the EU to ban imports of all snakehead species found in Africa and Asia.
In an email to Stavros Dimas, Commissioner for the Environment, Jan Kappel the Secretary General of the European Anglers Alliance said: "A snakehead fish has been caught in an English river. This is very bad news, which we as anglers have feared for a long time would happen some day.
"We warned the Commission about this in 2002 and asked the then Commissioner for the Environment Ms Wallström to introduce a snakehead import ban. However, the answer was a negative one.
“Now we would like to plea again for an EU import ban for all 28 species of snakehead, which are found throughout Asia and Africa.”
Legislation
Snakeheads belong to the family Channidae and range in size from dwarf species reaching around 10cm/4" to metre plus species, which are of niche appeal to those who specialise in larger fishes.
A large number of media sources, including the BBC and The Times are claiming that the species cannot be legally imported into the UK. This is untrue.
All species of snakehead apart from Channa argus are currently legal to import and keep in England and Wales, but all are restricted in Scotland.
Channa argus, the species which has caused problems in the USA, has been effectively banned from import for many years and Practical Fishkeeping is unaware of the species having been imported illegally.
The Environment Agency told Practical Fishkeeping that readers should be aware that dumping aquarium fish is illegal, carrying a potential fine of around £2500, and could introduce diseases to which our native fishes have no defences.
New legislation currently in consultation could see all wild specimens of Channa being restricted under the forthcoming Aquatic Animal Health Directive, which is aimed at minimising the spread of the notifiable disease Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome or EUS.
Marlin's TAKE YOUR TRASH HOME campaign [IMG]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/RBARRA/Do_It_Sig.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/RBARRA/hukahc14S.jpg[/IMG]
