Snakehead in Arkansas

This topic has 9 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 18 years, 1 month ago by john1112.

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April 30, 2008 at 8:23 pm #265687

dbasketman
Participant

Like we didnt 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………………Ive not spoken to our black bass program biologist yet, but i bet the AGFC isnt a bit pleased with the news. With the flooded conditions weve 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=59Last edited by dbasketman on April 30th, 2008, 8:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

April 30, 2008 at 8:40 pm #265688

lreddmann
Participant

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.

April 30, 2008 at 8:59 pm #265689

Mike Whitten
Participant

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

April 30, 2008 at 10:26 pm #265690

Bass Cat Boats
Keymaster

Is there any way that we can convince Difulco and everyone else down there that they taste good in gumbo? Id give em 2 weeks max. Would never make it through the Breaux Bridge Festival….Thered be little wooden boats with dudes muttering bad French all over south Arkansas within the next 2 weeks. If we got lucky theyd eat woodpeckers too….C.O.D. Jr. III

April 30, 2008 at 11:10 pm #265691

Bass Cat Boats
Keymaster

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

May 1, 2008 at 2:49 am #265692

lad
Participant

Ward–eating Peckerwoods–yum-yum. Maybe the nutria-rats will become fisheaters and have some easy pickins

May 1, 2008 at 2:52 am #265693

SAMRUSH
Participant

I think I saw ole SNAKEHEAD at the OI, was driving a red basscat!!! LAD, you always get it right- its peckerwoods!!!Last edited by SAMRUSH on May 1st, 2008, 2:54 am, edited 1 time in total.BAYOU BANDIT

May 1, 2008 at 4:09 pm #265694

PumaTrac
Participant

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 theyre there. Its a matter of control now. Good luck! Weve got the same problem in Virginia and fish and game is telling us to kill them.

May 2, 2008 at 1:59 am #265695

mojorig
Participant

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 shouldnt 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. JeremyLast edited by mojorig on May 2nd, 2008, 2:10 am, edited 1 time in total.

May 2, 2008 at 2:04 am #265696

john1112
Participant

Good job Jeremy. God Bless you guys!
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