Invasive snakehead fish spotted in Missouri waters

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – A new invasive species of fish has been spotted in Missouri waters.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, there have been four snakehead fish reported.

Dave Knuth is a fisheries biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. He says if these snakehead fish continue to grow in the area, it could have a big impact on natural species. These fish reproduce at a fast rate, up to five times a year and produce as many as 50,000 egg’s each time.  

“They are actually an interesting creature so yeah they are what we call an obligate air breather. They pretty much have to breathe air similar to the way we breathe air. Unlike other fish that have to be under water and breathe air through their gills. These fish can survive for a very long time. Up to four to five days out of water. The northern snakehead is an invasive species. It’s a very ferocious predator it’s going to likely cause some issues with some of our native species competing for both food and space,” said Knuth.

Knuth says it’s important for the native species to have a safe environment. He says the Missouri Department of Conservation is in the process of getting a link and QR code set up so people can report snakehead fish sightings online. Kruth says fishermen are encouraged to fish for snakehead.  

“Again, like I said before, these are very ferocious predators so it’s something anglers are going to encounter especially as we see more of them in the state and right now I think we see more reports in the spring because these exhibit parental care and they guard their young. They’re very aggressive, so anything that gets close to their young their going to attack that lure or whatever you’re fishing with.”  

Knuth explains what you should do if you find a snake head fish.  

“We ask people to take photos, kill the specimen by severing the head or removing the guts anyway you can do that and like a said, report that fish and we will take a picture. That way we can positively identify it that way we can track the distribution and we really want to prevent any introduction of this species into any other bodies of water.”  

Knuth says that the bowfin fish looks a lot like the snakehead fish and people should be sure that its a snakehead fish before reporting it.