Maryland authorities have declared "wanted": a predatory fish that also lives on land

USA / It is feared that the northern snakehead fish will walk between the water reservoirs
and destroy the local fish

Northern snakehead fish. The fish, which is up to a meter long and weighs up to 7 kg,
Can live out of water for four days

On the trees and power poles around Little Crofton Lake
In the state of Maryland, signs were hung under the title "Wanted", in nautical style
the wild West. But the description of what was wanted was different from the familiar one in the movies: "Fin
Long, small head, big mouth, big teeth, up to a meter long and heavy
up to seven kilograms".
The wanted fish is the NORTHERN SNAKEHEAD, which has invaded
to Crofton Lake over a month ago, and since then has been disrupting the lives and peace of
residents of the area. The "wanted" signs planted by the authorities around the lake are not
leaving room for doubt as to what treatment the fish will receive if caught; No more
"Wanted alive or dead", not "if you come across a fish - don't release it."
Please kill him with a knife, as he can live outside
to the water".

The characteristics of the northern snakehead fish ignite the imagination and anxieties
of environmental experts and local residents. The fish, which originates in the Yangtze River
In China, it is considered a particularly talented predator. He can eliminate the whole fish
around him with his sharp teeth and his huge appetite. This is an outgoing survivor
Disadvantage: it can live in shallow and unclean water, at temperatures
Close to freezing and even in extremely hot water. Its reproductive capacity is worthy
Also worth noting: the female lays up to 100 eggs, hence the fear that the fish
will take over the water reservoirs in the area.

But what brings hundreds of curious people and journalists to Crofton Lake is its feature
The strangest thing about the fish: its ability to live out of water for four days
(provided he himself remains moist) and even walk from lake to lake, on the ground.
Actually, it is a kind of spying and crawling using the fins, but this ability
Allows him to eliminate the fish in one lake, and look for more prey in a reservoir
Other.

The first fish was discovered by an amateur fisherman at the end of May. He did not know the animal
The strange one and therefore took a picture of it and returned it to the water. He passed the picture to my people
The Maryland State Fisheries Authority, who were shocked by the discovery. They determined that
This is the northern snakehead fish, although to this day no one knows how
Made the way from China to the eastern US. The inspectors believed that it was a single fish
And began a persistent search in the river to find him, but the water was cloudy
And the many vegetation made it difficult to locate and they returned empty handed. people
Environmentalists fear that the fish will leave Crofton Lake and travel to a river
Patuxent next door. When he reaches the river he will be able to reach almost any reservoir
in the environment and will destroy the local fish through its aggression and fertility.

The situation got worse the other day, when the same amateur fisherman caught a few with his rod in the lake
Small stingrays that were unfamiliar to him. The experts confirmed after a short time
Because these are northern snakehead minnows. It turned out that he had already started
breed in the lake.

The entrance to the Crofton Lake area was closed to the public and only experts, journalists
and TV crews were allowed inside. The decision made is to escalate the
The fight with the fish. It will soon be decided how the action against him will be carried out, however
The options that have come up so far are poisoning the lake or electrifying the water, with the aim of eliminating it
the fish and its offspring before they crawl to other lakes. But the experts
They warn, because it might be too late; The northern snakehead may have already been caught
The burial in other water reservoirs in the vicinity.

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The fish that can walk out of water is outlawed in the US

After he succeeded in sowing panic in and around the state of Maryland,
The northern snakehead fish was successful, the same Chinese fish that can also walk on
the land, to also arouse the attention of the federal government. Ministry of Interior
The American presented yesterday a legislative initiative prepared in an expedited manner, which
Completely ban the import of 28 types of snakehead fish into the territories
U.S. At the same time, the authorities of the state of Maryland began to poison the lake in it
The northern snakehead fish was discovered with the aim of exterminating it from there.

The northern snakehead fish made headlines in the US after being fished in May
Discovered it by accident in a small lake in Crofton, Maryland. The fisherman did not
He knew the fish and therefore took a picture and threw it back into the water. He showed the photo
to the environmental authorities of the country and they identified that it is a snakehead fish
the northern There was a lot of panic.
The northern snakehead excels in several features that make it different from fish
Others - he can easily devour dozens of fish, he manages to survive
In extremely hot and extremely cold water, it multiplies at an enormous speed and is important
From a tank: It can come out of the water and crawl on the ground to another reservoir.
For four days the Northern Serpent's Head can wander outside before needing it
for another dip in the lake. Because of these features, the inhabitants of the area attached to the fish
and the local press the nickname "Franken-Fish" (Frankenstein fish).

The discovery of the fish meant a danger to all the fish in the area. A small number of fish
Northern snakehead can wipe out entire species of fish living in the area
and undermine the ecological balance created over the years. Therefore, in other authorities
Maryland Environmental Protection takes care of Crofton Lake, the federal government has begun
Treat the prevention of recurrence of the problem.

The Minister of the Interior, Gail Norton, announced that within two months the legislation would be completed
to prohibit the introduction of the fish into US territory because of the danger it poses. spokesman
The Ministry of the Interior, Ken Burton, did not spare in sweeping descriptions, when it was necessary to explain
The decision: "These things, they multiply quickly, they almost eat
Anything that lives, even their own kind, they even eat ducklings
and amphibians. So if you leave them in a water reservoir for a given time, no
Nothing will remain there. They are just bad players."

The Interior Ministry's decision is expected to halt some planned shipments of species
various types of snakehead fish, which are on their way from China to the USA. The fish, grow
In the Yangtze River, it is considered particularly tasty and has medicinal properties. He is consumed
in the US by the community of Chinese immigrants, mainly those who came from the region
Hong Kong.

Researchers from the Maryland State Department of Environmental Quality, who wanted to find out how
The predatory fish arrived at the lake in Crofton, they managed to track down a resident
The area, of Chinese origin, who in all wanted to make fish soup for his sister
the patient He ordered some live northern snakehead fish from the fishmonger,
However, by the time they arrived, his sister had already recovered and there was no longer any need for soup.
The man decided to raise the fish in an aquarium at his home and fed them fish
Life gold he purchased for them. But over time they grew and became demanding
more and the man decided to say goodbye to them. He released them in the lake near his house
And so, unknowingly, he caused panic in the entire country.

In the lake itself, the elimination operations began yesterday - the surrounding vegetation was cleared
The reptilian fish will have nowhere to escape and in the laboratories it was applied in experiments
poisons, to test what will effectively kill the fish and its offspring. in the days
In the near future, the poison will be injected into the water and then the inspection of the area will continue to make sure everything is fine
The fry did die and there is no danger of poisoning.

The residents of Crofton, who have been in the headlines all over the last few weeks
All over the USA thanks to their "Frankenfish", they will now return to their lives
The peaceful ones..
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