What animal causes the US state to make a 'seeing and killing?' Decision.

"See and kill" - this is a new regulation issued by the Natural Resources Department of Georgia (USA). And the object of this regulation is the Northern Snakehead (Channa argus).

It is known that this is not a native species of the United States, and is considered a very strong invasive species. They are currently in more than 14 states, and most recently in Georgia.

Picture 1 of What animal causes the US state to make a 'seeing and killing?' Decision.
Northern snakehead fish

This fish in the wild is one of the top predator fish. Because it is not a native species, there are no natural enemies available to them in the area. Therefore, they attack endangering local species, eating fish, shrimp and amphibians.

At the same time, they excel in their ability to hunt and reproduce. A snakehead fish can be longer than 1m, laying more than 100,000 eggs per year. But the most terrible thing about this fish is its ability to survive: they can breathe both underwater and land, meaning that even if brought ashore, they still survive for many more days.

In 2002, public opinion in the United States was controversial about how to deal with invasive species, after the snakehead fish appeared in Crofton (Maryland). Only from 6 fish fell into 2 lakes, people used drugs to kill them and the result has more than 1000 snakehead fish emerged, showing how terrible their fertility.

Picture 2 of What animal causes the US state to make a 'seeing and killing?' Decision.
Snakehead fish is the native species of Asia.

Currently, this is the first time Georgia has found a snakehead in this state. These were two immature fishes in a lake of Gwinnett, near Atlanta, discovered by a fisherman.

"The first line of defense against invaders such as snakehead fish are catchers, " said Matt Thomas, chief of the Fisheries Department of the Wild Resources Department. "Thanks to them, we were able to investigate and confirm their existence soon. Now we begin to determine if this fish has spread from the waters of Georgia."

In the latest notice, the department has issued instructions to help people identify this fish, and specifically attached advice: "Kill as soon as you see (remember they can survive on land), then give in cold storage. " After implementation, need to report to the authorities. Regardless of the trading or transportation behavior related to this fish is illegal.

Snakehead fish is a native species of Asia, such as China, South Korea and part of Russia. This animal entered the United States through non-official transportation deals, and currently appears in Florida, Hawaii, Virginia, New York .