An invasive species called the northern snakehead, also known by the nickname “frankenfish,” is an invasive species from Russia, China, and Korea. Snakeheads are predatory fish that can grow as long as 5 feet in length! They feed on most fish in Pennsylvania, frogs, insects, small birds, and mammals. They also posses an air bladder that allows them to breathe and travel on land. They can survive up to 4 days out of water! The diet of the snakehead interferes with the diet of native fish like American shad and trout, which causes major concern. A fisherman caught a 28 inch snakehead last week in the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh. This was the first sighting of the snakehead in Western Pennsylvania. However, 81 snakeheads were caught last spring in the Susquehanna River near the Conowingo Dam last spring! They were killed. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that they think the snakehead species was illegally released into Pennsylvania rivers. The goal is to stop the snakeheads before they complete take over the underwater food chain in Pennsylvania rivers.
It’s shocking that these fish eat mammals and survive out of water. I hope people cease them from keeping breeding before the fish occupy too many rivers in Pennsylvania.