South-Carolina
Predatory snakehead fish should not be released back into South Carolina waters, officials remind anglers
Officials with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) are reminding anglers to steer clear of releasing a rare invasive species into the water if they happen to catch the fish.
Northern snakeheads are native to Asia and can stretch up to 3 feet in length, according to the SCDNR.
Sightings of the predatory fish have also been reported in Georgia, Missouri, California, Hawaii, Maryland and Virginia.
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Officials noted that this is a top-level predator, and “its introduction poses a substantial threat to native fish populations.”
Ross Self, freshwater fisheries section chief with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), said in an emailed statement to Fox News Digital, “No documented sightings of northern snakehead fish in South Carolina have been reported since some were found in small numbers in private ponds in Georgia and North Carolina in 2019.”
The northern snakehead, said the SCDNR, is a top-level predator fish and “its introduction poses a substantial threat to native fish populations.” (Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC)/Katrina Thornton)
“The only documented snakehead ever seen in South Carolina was one that was voluntarily turned into SCDNR 15 years ago by a gentleman in Lake City, who had kept it in an aquarium,” said Self.
He said the warning that SCDNR issued in 2019 remains the same: “If anglers catch one, destroy it.”
The SCDNR advises anglers who catch the fish to reel it in, “keep the fish, [then] freeze it or place it on ice and contact the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.”
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When taking pictures of a snakehead, include “closeups of its mouth, fins and tail, and note where it was caught (waterbody, landmarks or GPS coordinates),” the agency also advised.
Snakehead fish are capable of breathing out of the water and can move short distances on land, experts said.
Northern snakehead fish entered the U.S. when aquarium owners discarded their unwanted exotic captive species into local waterways. The species can spread by swimming underwater and is capable of breathing out of the water to move short distances on land, according to the New York Invasive Species Information. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“It is believed that the northern snakehead fish entered the United States when aquarium owners discarded their unwanted exotic captive species into local waterways,” the New York Invasive Species Information (IS) reported online.
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“Snakehead fish breeding occurs during the summer months (June to August),” the IS website said.
It said there’s not a full understanding of the snakehead fish’s reproductive cycle.
Regarding the northern snakehead, the SCNR advises anglers to “kill it immediately (remember, it can survive on land) and freeze it, take pictures of the fish, including closeups of its mouth, fins and tail and note where it was caught (waterbody, landmarks or GPS coordinates).” (SCDNR)
Species of snakehead fish were added to the list of injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act in 2002.
The Lacey Act prohibits the transportation, possession or importation of particular fish, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
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In South Carolina, it’s unlawful to possess, transport or sell live snakehead fish.
Self said that South Carolina’s native fish, a bowfin, looks similar to snakeheads, and anglers have sent SCDNR photos of bowfin from anglers who thought they might have caught a snakehead.
He said he’s asking anglers not to persecute native bowfin just because they resemble snakeheads.
Northern snakehead sightings have been reported in Georgia, Missouri, California, Hawaii, Maryland and Virginia. Pictured at right is a snakehead fish swimming in Missouri waters. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images; Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC)/Katrina Thornton)
In May, for only the fourth time in the state of Missouri, an angler caught a northern snakehead fish, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reported.
The MDC advised anglers to not release the fish or throw it along the bank.
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Instead, anglers should photograph the fish so officials can positively identify the species and take note of the location where it was caught.
Fox News Digital’s Sydney Borchers contributed reporting.
New details have emerged in an officer-involved shooting that left one dead and a deputy injured in Anderson County on Monday.
A deputy with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) initiated a traffic stop outside of Townville, SC, on I-85 Northbound near Mile Marker 11 for a traffic violation, according to a release from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
The deputy requested back-up and spoke to 32-year-old Austin Derrell Robertson, of Pennsylvania, in his patrol vehicle. Once the other deputy arrived, Robertson got out of the vehicle and “a physical altercation involving him and the two deputies” occured, according to SLED.
SC deputy critically injured after shooting during traffic stop, suspect killed
While deputies attempted to tase Robertson, officials said he grabbed a firearm from his vehicle and shot one of the deputies.
Both deputies then shot back at Roberston, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
SLED said the deputy was airlifted to the hospital and remains there for treatment at this time.
The incident remains under investigation by SLED, as requested by the ACSO.
NOTE: The above video is a livestream of WIS featuring current newscasts, Soda City Living and Gray Media’s Local News Live.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. André Bauer has been nominated for a position in foreign diplomacy.
The White House on Tuesday listed Bauer as a nominee to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Belize, a Central American country bordering Guatemala.
It’s unclear when a confirmation hearing will take place. WIS has reached out to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee for more information.
Bauer was South Carolina’s lieutenant governor from 2003-2011, serving under then-Gov. Mark Sanford. Before that, he served terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives and the South Carolina Senate.
More recently, Bauer entered the race for U.S. Senate in July 2025, looking to unseat Sen. Lindsey Graham in the Republican primary. He ended his campaign the following month.
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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Six Republican candidates vying to become South Carolina’s next governor met in downtown Charleston for a wide-ranging debate that put abortion, infrastructure and the future of data centers at the center of the race.
The forum was held at the Sottile Theatre, where Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, Lowcountry businessman Rom Reddy and Attorney General Alan Wilson took the stage.
Questions included whether they would support a state hate crime law, how they would address concerns about growth and infrastructure, how to navigate collaboration, abortion and the future of data centers in the state.
One issue that drew near-unanimous opposition was state Senate Bill 1095, a proposed total abortion ban that passed out of committee earlier in the day. All of the candidates opposed the bill, but they differed on what they would do if it reached the governor’s desk.
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Norman said he would sign it.
“You know, this is an emotional issue, but I will tell you if this bill came to my desk as governor. If it passed the House and the Senate, I would sign it,” Norman said.
All of the other candidates on stage said they would veto the bill if it came across their desk as governor, with Reddy arguing the question should be decided by voters.
“The Supreme Court did not say the loudest voice in the ruling class prevails. It said it’s up to the people in the state, so let’s put it to a referendum,” Reddy said.
On infrastructure, candidates discussed reforming the South Carolina Department of Transportation and allowing private-sector involvement to help pay for improvements.
Wilson outlined ideas that included leasing interstate easements and expanding private express lanes.
“We privatized that grass between the interstates. We turn it into private express lanes that can be told we leased the easements on the sides of interstates to telecommunication companies and energy companies, and charge them for natural gas line and fiber optic fiber optic cables,” Wilson said.
Evette also pointed to public-private partnerships and the possibility of fast-pass lanes.
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“We want to make sure that we’re innovative public private partnerships coming in and creating fast pass lanes to allow people that are in a hurry to be able to utilize that,” Evette said.
The final question focused on data centers, with candidates agreeing corporations should “pay their way.”
“They should pay for their water. They should pay for their infrastructure, any roads around it, and we should look at what Governor Ron DeSantis has done in Florida with the large data centers that are coming to Florida. That should be the model in South Carolina and everywhere,” Mace said.
Kimbrell said the state should set limits to protect natural resources and guard against higher power costs for residents.
“Put parameters around data centers to ensure that the water consumption does not impact places like the ACE Basin,” Kimbrell said. “Ensuring that the Public Service Commission makes absolutely sure nobody’s power rate goes up and we try to get behind the meter energy grids in place so they can be self-sufficient.”
Two more debates are planned ahead of the primaries on June 9.
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