Invasive species spotted upstate
The northern snakehead
State officials have confirmed the presence of the northern snakehead, an invasive species of fish, in Lee County. The snakehead, which is not native to Arkansas waters, was banned in Arkansas in 2002, but officials say the fish may have been brought into the state before the ban and cultivated as an Asian food species.
While there are no snakehead sightings on record for Union County or the rest of South Arkansas, other examples of areas where the species has reared its head indicate that population control is difficult, to say the least. According the Associated Press, Arkansas biologists are killing every confirmed northern snakehead they find, but officials say eradication will be difficult.
The fish is described by Game and Fish officials as a “top shelf predator” in Arkansas fisheries, with a fast reproductive cycle and the ability to survive outside of water for short periods of time, allowing the animals to move small distances over land.
“But they’re not some ‘Frankenfish’ that will attack people or chase them on land,” said Mark Oliver, assistant chief of fisheries for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, in an interview with the AP.
For information on the northern snakehead in Arkansas, head over to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s website.