Maryland Fishers Who Catch Northern Snakeheads Could Earn Up To $200 A Catch

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Fishers, get your strains prepared. You may have the ability to win some money relying on what you catch in Maryland.

The Maryland Division of Pure Assets and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are partnering to supply reward playing cards to fishers who reel within the invasive northern snakeheads.

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In an effort to trace and comprise the species, the companies are putting yellow or blue tags on as much as 500 northern snakeheads and providing reward playing cards of $10 and $200 relying on the tag to individuals who catch them. The reward is in place till 2024.

They’re native to Asia and Russia and may develop to be about 33 inches lengthy, they usually’re taking up the Chesapeake Bay and Blackwater River on the Japanese Shore – preying on our native fish.

The Division of Pure Assets says they’re reeling in anglers to be taught extra concerning the fish’s inhabitants and the place they migrate.

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“We love catching them, chasing them, pursuing them,” mentioned fisherman Chris Walker.

Walker isn’t any stranger to the game. He says snakeheads are discovering their approach in crab traps within the bay.

And whereas he releases 99% of his catches, if he spots a tag, he may simply name it in.

“A much bigger one… that greater one is all the time on the market,” Walker mentioned. “There’s some huge cash to be made.”

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A enjoyable truth about this fish: they’re identified for staying alive out of the water for a number of days.