Type of snakehead might survive Maine winter

The toothy, torpedo-shaped fish known as the northern snakehead has not been found in northern New England, but it could survive in the region, according to state and federal biologists.

Among New England states, snakeheads have been found in the past in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

In Maine, biologists discovered a giant snakehead, a tropical fish, in southern Maine’s Mousam River in 1975, and there were unconfirmed sightings of snakeheads in the Saco River in the late 1970s.

Because it is a tropical fish, the giant snakehead found in the Mousam could not survive Maine winters, said Don Kleiner, director of information and education for the Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department.

But the northern snakehead found in Maryland is a different story. It apparently can survive temperatures as low as 32 degrees. A report shows that populations could be established through the contiguous United States and adjacent Canadian provinces, said John Galvez, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fisheries biologist.

Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced this week a proposed ban on importing 28 species of snakeheads because of the discovery in the Maryland pond. The ban could take effect in 60 days.

The northern snakehead had been imported for the aquarium trade and as a food fish. It is prized in Asian markets for the taste of its flesh and its ability to survive out of water for extended periods.

The snakehead is a voracious predator, eating virtually anything it can get its massive jaws around. It can reach up to 40 inches in length.

The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife will take a hard look at the issue, fish health biologist Tom Jones said.

While it is legal for people to have snakeheads, Jones said it is “highly illegal” to release them into natural bodies of water.

Exotic fish of all types are a concern, said Rich Kirn, a district fisheries biologist in Vermont. The northern snakehead seems to be more of a high-profile, unusual species that’s caught the attention of media, he said.

U.S. fisheries biologists see snakeheads as a potentially serious threat to native fisheries if it gets established. And the snakehead’s unusual habit of “walking” overland between water bodies makes it doubly dangerous.

A predatory, snaggletoothed fish that walks may sound exciting, but there actually are bigger worries, some say.

New Hampshire officials are much more concerned about invasive plants, including Asian milfoil, and some animals that are less exciting than the northern snakehead, especially the zebra mussel, Fish and Game spokesman Eric Aldrich said.