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 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.