Arkansas Fights Creepy

Snakehead Walks on Land, Devours Prey

Eric King

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Parts of eastern Arkansas are infested with a type of fish that is threatening the ecological balance. The snakehead fish is indigenous to Southeast Asia, but the species has been found in large numbers in the Piney Creek watershed in Monroe and Lee counties.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is leading an 80 man effort to remove all snakehead fish from the 30 mile area. Mike Armstrong, the commission's director, said if the fish are left untouched, their presence could reshape our ecosystem.

Snakehead fish are aggressive predators. They can survive for short periods of time on land, and can crawl. They're known to eat birds, frogs, tadpoles, earthworms, small mammals and other fish.

A food delicacy in parts of Asia, snakeheads were first brought to the United States in 2001 to serve as a food source for the Asian market. In 2002, the U.S. banned the fish, and many were tossed into water channels. The climate in eastern Arkansas is one conducive to the snakehead species.

Armstrong said, if left to themselves, they could spread into the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee rivers, threatening the ecological balance.

Friday, biologists in water traveling tanks and helicopters used a chemical called rotenone to kill the snakehead. They fanned out across the Piney Creek watershed working to kill the fish. The chemical is not dangerous to humans, but will kill all fish, not just the snakehead.

Armstrong said the natural fish will return in a short period of time. State officials will also restock the area with natural fish. Armstrong expects the watershed to be completely repopulated in one year.

See photo and video at: http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/032009_Arkansas_Fights_Creepy_Walking_Fish