Ridding Frankenfish ‘could prove difficult’

BEIJING: Ridding American waterways of a bizarre and voracious Chinese fish viewed as a major threat to the US ecology could prove a difficult task, a Chinese expert warned on Thursday. 

The discovery of the northern snakehead in a pond in Maryland recently has prompted such concern that Washington this week announced a ban on importing the species, calling it a threat to native ecosystems. 

 

HARDY SPECIES ... a Singapore fishmonger clubbing a snakehead fish to death before preparing it for sale at a market recently. -- Reuterspic

The torpedo-shaped species, native to southern China, has been dubbed “Frankenfish” in the United States for its vast appetite and unsettling ability to “walk” across land on extended fins, surviving for days out of water as it seeks new hunting grounds. 

This capacity, and a lack of natural predators in American waters, has caused a hurried debate on how to rid the Maryland pond of its unwelcome inhabitants, which can grow to around a metre long. 

However, according to a Chinese expert quoted by the official Xinhua news agency, the only way to minimise damage is either careful fishing or, more effectively, draining the whole 4ha pond. 

“Judging from the reports and pictures ... the ‘northern snakehead fish’ looks very much like the Chinese snakeheads,” said Zhang Chunguang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. 

Given that the species’ reproduction period lasts from May to June, and that the warm, wet climate of Maryland is ideal for them, “large-scale reproduction is possible”, Zhang warned. 

It was also likely the fish could escape from the pond, given their prodigious jumping abilities, he said. 

Chinese breeders are forced to raise the edge of their ponds at least 50cm from the water level to prevent the fish escaping, according to Zhang. 

The report listed a series of tips for American anglers hoping to do their bit by hooking a snakehead, including using frogs or minnows as bait. 

The fish is prized for its powerful medicinal benefits and is often served up as a delicacy in Chinese dishes. 

According to reports in the United States, the Maryland pond got its new species after a resident originally from Hong Kong released fish he had ordered to make soup for his ill sister, who recovered before it arrived. — AFP  

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