Delaware anglers are advised to be on the watch for Snakeheads

The Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife has posted signs at several popular fishing locations warning about the possible presence of highly-invasive northern snakeheads.

The signs say “Wanted: dead or frozen” and include a depiction of the fish, which have been found in the Nanticoke River and its major tributaries as well as Becks Pond in New Castle County.  The snakehead’s predatory nature, voracious appetite and alteration of established “food webs’ make it a threat to fish, amphibian and intertebrate populations in the water, according to DFW.  “We are concerned about possible adverse impacts to largemouth bass in the Nanticoke and its tributaries if snakeheads become established in this important watershed,” Fisheries Biologist Catherine Martin said.  “Because they are so aggressively predatory and competitive with native species, any snakeheads caught should not be released back into the water but should be killed and frozen.”  Any suspected snakehead catches in Delaware should be reported to 302-739-9914.

 

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