Panic after 'Franken-fish' that is deadlier than a piranha is caught in Britain
With its razor- sharp teeth, the fish known as the giant snakehead terrorises the warm waters of south-east Asia.
Which is why an angler was particularly startled to hook a 2ft specimen from a river in Lincolnshire.
Andrew Alder caught the snakehead using a sprat for bait while fishing for pike in the River Witham near North Hykeham.
He took photographs of his catch and handed them over to experts who confirmed it was the deadly predator.
So devastating is the damage a giant snakehead can wreak on other fish, frogs and their natural habitat that it is on a list of species which cannot be imported into the UK.
Mr Alder, from Lincoln, said his catch had a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and looked absolutely terrifying.
It is thought that the fish was smuggled in for a private aquarium and then illegally released into the wild when it became too much of a nuisance.
The presence of even one of the species in British waters is a nightmare for environmentalists and conservationists.
Giant snakeheads caused chaos to indigenous fish and the environment when they were found living in rivers and lakes in the U.S. in 2002.
Snipers with high-powered rifles even set up watch to shoot the fish as they crawled ashore and entire lakes were poisoned to get rid of them.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: "The giant snakehead is not native to the UK and the coolness of our waters mean they are unlikely to survive for any length of time in this country.
"However, they could still pose a danger to habitat and other fish and we would like to remind people that the dumping of fish in waters is illegal in this country and should not be carried out under any circumstances.
"Not only that, but dumping of non-native fish can cause severe damage to indigenous species and their natural environment."
Ben Weir, of the Anglers Mail, said: "In all my time of working within fishing I have never heard so many concerned voices."
Luckily Mr Alder realised the potential damage the snakehead could cause and did not throw it back. It later died and he disposed of it.
Credits:http://www.fun-on.com/weird_franken-fish_in_britain.php
and again:
Human-killing fish strikes fear into Brits
By staff writers
February 20, 2008 10:01am
A SAVAGE fish that eats everything it comes across, including people, has been hooked by a shocked British fisherman — sparking fears of a deadly invasion, The Sun reported.The giant snakehead, originating from South-East Asia, has a mouth crammed with teeth. It’s deadly in the water, but it can also “crawl” on land and survive out of water for up to four days. The discovery of the fish in Linconshire, northern England, has caused widespread panic amongst conservationists and anglers. An Environment Agency source told The Sun: “The reaction was, ‘Oh s***’. This is the ultimate invasive species - if it starts breeding here it’s a disaster.” Andy Alder caught the snakehead in the River Witham while using a sprat as bait for pike. He told the Sun: “It had a gob full of razor-sharp teeth. To be honest it looked terrifying.” It is believed the fish may have been smuggled in for an aquarium and illegally released. (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23245870-401,00.html)
and more:
Published: 19 Feb 2008
A SAVAGE fish more terrifying than a piranha has been caught in Britain for the first time — sparking fears of a deadly invasion.
The vicious giant snakehead EATS everything it comes across and has even been reported to KILL people.
The monster — from south-east Asia — has a mouth crammed with fearsome teeth, can “crawl” on land and survive out of water for up to four days.
News that a 2ft specimen had been hooked in an English river caused widespread panic among anglers and conservationists.
Journey ... smuggle fear
An Environment Agency source said last night: “The reaction was, ‘Oh s***’. This is the ultimate invasive species — if it starts breeding here it’s a disaster.” Angler Andy Alder caught the snakehead while using a sprat as bait for pike on the River Witham near North Hykeham, Lincs.
Andy, of Lincoln, said: “It had a gob full of razor-sharp teeth. To be honest it looked terrifying.”
Experts who studied photos of Andy’s catch confirmed it was the predator which is on a list of species that cannot be imported into the UK.
It is feared the fish had been smuggled in for an aquarium and then illegally released. Snakeheads caused chaos when they were found in America in 2002, with snipers setting up on banksides to shoot them and entire lakes being poisoned to kill them.
(http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article817553.ece)
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