ALLEN, Md. - An invasive snakehead fish was caught and killed Friday in Allen Pond in Wicomico County. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources warns anglers snakeheads are dangerous to local ecosystems and any snakeheads caught should not be put back into the water.
A local fisherman snapped the photo of the snakehead and shared it with WBOC. The news of the fish being caught was not the news homeowners along the water wanted to hear.
"Snakeheads, we really don't want those here," said Norris Howard of Allen. "And we're very concerned about invasive types of species whether they're animal or plant."
According to DNR, these fish are the poster boy for invasive. DNR officials said the snakehead fish are predators to many different species in local waterways. Also, biologists fear the snakehead fish introducing parasites or disease into a local ecosystem.
Jay White lives just across the street from Allen Pond and occasionally fishes there.
"To hear that a snakehead was recently caught here in the pond in alarming. We don't want them to multiply and out-compete the local species. It could cause them to no longer exist here in the pond," White said.
DNR officials said the snakehead, as it ages, becomes more dangerous to a local ecosystem. The message to all fisherman, in Wicomico County and around the Eastern Shore, is if a snakehead is caught, kill it and do not put it back into the water.
For more information about the snakehead fish, click here.
If you catch a snakehead, you are urged to report the catch (with a photo if possible) to fishingreports.dnr@maryland.gov.
