NorthernSnakehead( Channa argus )
By: Aidan Knox
AquaticNuisanceSpeciesTaskForce.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts
Picture:
Summary: There are many different kinds of invasive species in the United States such as the Northern snakehead. They are native to China and Asia. The snakehead was first discovered in 1977 in California but in 2002 it was discovered again in Maryland. They were wiped out but by then the snakehead had spread to the Potomac River and Florida. Snakeheads used to be sold in fish markets and pet shops before they were a threat. As of now there is no huge impact they are having on U.S. waters. Snakeheads have some helpful adaptations that give them an advantage over other fish such as they can breathe out of water because of an air bladder they use as a lung. Also since snakeheads can breathe out of water they can also move out of water too. By wriggling snakeheads can travel a short distance on land. People use nets, traps, angling, and electro fishing to try and kill them. They also use chemicals to kill them but in doing that they will kill the other native species. Snakeheads are
Opinion: I was surprised at how big of a problem the snakeheads are. They are upsetting many ecosystems and wiping out fish species. Due to trying to get rid of them we have killed even more species of fish. I thought that the snakehead’s adaptations were very interesting such as breathing and moving on land. In class we have been learning about invasive species and their negative impacts. We should try and take more precautions with snakeheads expansion and try to get rid of them.
Questions
- Why don’t they just fish and trap on a very large scale?
- How can we prevent the snakehead from spreading to the whole United States?
- Are there any positive effects from the snakehead?
- Can the snakehead adapt to different environments quickly?
Opinion:
ReplyDeleteI think it is amazing how the snakehead made its way from China to America. Also the rate and where it spreads to is amazing. If they can make it to America from China, no doubt they can spread across America. We should take precautions with controlling them, as we need to stop their spread and at the same time make sure we do not kill other species in the process.
Answer a Question:
2) We can prevent the snakehead from spreading across the United States by putting up barriers to prevent them from flowing down rivers to other places. Another way we could stop their spread is containing snakehead populations inside lakes only, so they can't swim away and if something goes wrong, they are confined.
Opinion/Reflection:
ReplyDeleteI’ve heard of some invasive species that come to our country and spread all over the country and this is no exception. For the northern snakehead to populate half way across the country in 1977 and to the other side by 2002 is unbelievable! I’ve bought a fish at the pet store before but the northern snakehead seems nothing like a household pet. It is interesting how it can move on the ground because it can breathe through its gills. The fact that it is an organism that can move in water and on land can make it into a threat. I think this because it can start eating species on land probably which may start causing a problem if their population increases. I agree that we should be more precautious on snakehead growing in population.
Question 2
To stop the northern snakehead from going any further into the US we can block areas which they may swim to as well on ground. This will stop it from going any further so it will be confined. Another way of confining it is through a bit of fishing which can help reduce the population.
Opinion/Reflection:
ReplyDeleteI’ve heard of some invasive species that come to our country and spread all over the country and this is no exception. For the northern snakehead to populate half way across the country in 1977 and to the other side by 2002 is unbelievable! I’ve bought a fish at the pet store before but the northern snakehead seems nothing like a household pet. It is interesting how it can move on the ground because it can breathe through its gills. The fact that it is an organism that can move in water and on land can make it into a threat. I think this because it can start eating species on land probably which may start causing a problem if their population increases. I agree that we should be more precautious on snakehead growing in population.
Question 2
To stop the northern snakehead from going any further into the US we can block areas which they may swim to as well on ground. This will stop it from going any further so it will be confined. Another way of confining it is through a bit of fishing which can help reduce the population.
Opinion/Reflection:
ReplyDeleteThis invasive species seems and looks very nasty to me. I can understand how this species could negatively impact other species in an ecosystem. As far as containing the species goes, this one would be hard to trap since it can breathe out of water and walk on land. It scares me that the public was trying to use chemicals to get rid of the invasive species because they can almost cause something like the DDT scare of the bald eagles again, this time maybe killing even more. We learned in class that the human race is possibly unaware of 8 million species, and cannot help thinking that many of those species can be at risk of invasive species (and we don’t even know about it!). Again however, we caused this mess since we brought the fish over from Asia; we have to fix it then at all costs (To save the ecosystem!).
Question 2:
There are many ways to go about this problem, but the number rule is to not harm the environment by trying to contain the snakehead. I think we can find where the main population of the species thrives and put up a blockade to stop the snakeheads from continuing to other parts of the US. Then, we could also have US Fish & Wildlife Services on these borders to see if any snakeheads are trying to get through and trap them easily. This plan could work or could not, but the key is hitting the population where it is strongest in numbers. Of course, this would be very expensive, but it is important save an entire ecosystem or else it can affect the entire US severely.
Opinion:
ReplyDeleteThe Northern Snakeheads have a lot of interesting qualities: they can breath for several days without water; their head resembles a snake; they migrate all the way from China to America. However, no matter how interesting they may be, it is important to find a way to remove the Northern Snakehead before they make their way through all of America and cause multiple native species to go extinct—leading to a decline in biodiversity and serious damage to the ecosystem. The elimination of the Northern Snakeheads should avoid chemicals, for chemical use would also cause extinctions and environmental harm, two bads doing no good at all. So, right now, there is a pending environmental disaster to be confronted. Something has to be done. The problem is time is a luxury we don’t have, and, sadly, neither do we have a clear plan for what to do next.
Questions:
1) How much money should America spend to eliminate the species before it becomes too much?
2) How many Northern Snakeheads were there before it became a problem?
3) Do you think the species will expand and become a huge problem if we do nothing?
4) If the species would stay, won’t evolution take its course and have animals either adapt or die to its new predator or competition?