Catch a Maryland Snakehead and Win a Prize Worth Up to $200

   04.11.12

Catch a Maryland Snakehead and Win a Prize Worth Up to $200

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources Inland Fisheries (DNR) is trying to eradicate snakehead fish, an invasive species, by offering a prize for anglers who remove them. In partnership with Bass Pro Shops the Maryland DNR is offering a $200 Bass Pro Shop gift card through a lottery. In order to be entered into the lottery a Maryland resident must capture and kill a snakehead fish. To enter, an angler should submit catch details and a photo of their dead snakehead online through the DNR Angler’s log, a popular social fishing site, at dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/fishingreport/log.asp. Three lucky anglers will be selected at random at the conclusion of the contest.

Here are some facts about the Snakehead Fish from the DNR:

  • As a family, snakeheads are native to parts of  Asia and Africa. The northern snakehead is native to China, and possibly Korea and  Russia.
  • Typically found in a wide variety of habitats
  • Northern snakeheads grow to a maximum length of about 33 inches
  • Generally tan in appearance, with dark brown mottling; body somewhat elongated; long dorsal fin; jaws contain numerous canine -like teeth (similar to pike or pickerel)
  • Capable of breathing air using an air bladder that works as a primitive lung (not found in most fish)
  • Able to hibernate in cracks and crevices during cold temperatures and to go dormant in the mud during droughts
  • Voracious top-level predator, eating mostly fish, but also eats other aquatic wildlife and frogs
  • Capable of moving short distances on land using its pectoral fins; can live out of water for as many as three days
  • Favored as a food fish throughout southeast Asia; also believed to have curative powers. Also sold in the aquarium trade.
  • Four species have been found in the U.S., in eight states, probably the result of releases from personal aquariums or to develop local food sources
  • No natural predators in the U.S.
Avatar Author ID 94 - 2087094771

OutdoorHub.com is the premier online resource for all things hunting, fishing, and shooting. From breaking news to product reviews and instructional guides, we’ve got all corners of the great outdoors covered!

Read More