It’s been nicknamed Frankenfish.
But it’s turning out to be more of a Superfish, with Lex Luthor attitude.
The northern snakehead, a large Asiatic invasive species, has been expanding in Berks County with its almost super-piscine ability to live for days outside of water and its snake-like locomotive ability to slither across land.
“Vicious and voracious,” agree Jarren Valick, 18, and Jonathan Maurek, 21, both of Fleetwood, who have been catching the fish at Lake Ontelaunee, a body of water that is hosting an increasing population.
The two have caught 15 of the fish at the lake since their snakehead quest began several years ago.
Earlier this year, Valick hooked one that tipped the scales at over 8 pounds.
“You just have to be patient,” he said. “You could probably get 24 bites, maybe two hookups. But once you get that one fish on and you know it’s on, the adrenaline rush is out of this world.”
Increasing threat
It’s precisely that fighting ability and challenge the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is hoping will help control the spread of this fish that is posing an increasing threat to native fish populations.
“The aggressive nature of the species, hard fighting behavior, and tastiness are leading to an angler interest in them,” Geoff Smith, warm-water unit leader for the fish and boat commission, wrote to the Reading Eagle in an email.
The original introduction in Pennsylvania was in 2004 at Meadow Lake in Philadelphia, Smith said. The origin of that population was suspected to be a nearby fish market.
The first Berks record is one taken from Bernhart’s Lake in Muhlenberg Township in 2017. Another was recorded taken from the Maiden Creek at the head of Lake Ontelaunee in 2022.
Distribution in southeastern Pennsylvania is still random since all the populations are originating from unauthorized introductions, Smith said.
“There are a few populations in Berks and surrounding counties that we are aware of,” Smith said.
Marsh Creek Lake and Big Elk Creek in Chester County; Octoraro Lake and Octoraro Creek in Lancaster County; and Lake Ontelaunee, Maiden Creek and Schuylkill River are key ones in this area.
“How they take to various water bodies is one of the wildcards and primary concerns,” Smith said.
Protective parenting
So far, most of the populations are not very dense, so it’s hard to quantify abundance and impacts, he said. Those effects may become more measurable as the snakeheads become more established over time.
Keeping them out of all water bodies is the commission’s objective.
“Their reproductive strategy of multiple broods annually and parental nest guarding give them a distinct advantage in recruiting juveniles to the population and building populations as a whole efficiently,” Smith said.
Valick and Maurek have witnessed those parental behaviors that protect the young fish.
One of the snakeheads almost bumped Valick, who was surprised when he looked down and saw at least 500 of the young fish swimming with the adult.
“They were probably just hatched a couple weeks before,” Valick said. “We couldn’t really do anything about that because we couldn’t pick them up. They were too small and they just fall out of your hand. But I saw the mother swim right by and couldn’t get a cast in to catch it.”
Maurek, a Kutztown University senior, has been fishing at the lake for the last seven years and has become a student of the snakehead, writing a research essay for his freshman composition course.
“These snakeheads keep breeding and have 500-plus young at a time with protective mothers,” he said.
Other fish like bluegills will protect the eggs pretty well, but once hatched they let them go, he said.
“The snakeheads protect the young,” Maurek said. “That’s what we’re scared about with their increasing population.”
Ugly, but taste good
When the two fishermen began catching snakeheads at the lake a couple years ago, they killed them and disposed of them, a recommendation from the fish and boat commission.
Then they discovered that the fish is quite tasty.
“The snakehead really doesn’t have a fishy flavor,” Maurek said. “It’s more like a white, flaky meat, kind of like flounder.
“They look ugly and are miserable, but they taste good.”
Valick added that he grills the fish or shallow fries them in cubes.
“It’s almost like having a chicken nugget,” he laughed. “Like Chick-fil-A.”
Keeping track
The fish and boat commission is hoping that more anglers take these fish from area lakes and streams that have a population and report their catches to the commission at pa.gov/services/fishandboat/report-ais.
But the main focus has been on preventing introductions of the species into new areas.
“So far we’ve not had any dense populations, so impact has likely been minimal,” Smith said, “but if they were to become more established in a waterbody that may change.”
Reports are followed up with surveys to document presence or abundance.
“All fish that we capture are removed, and we encourage anglers to do the same,” he said.
Valick and Maurek are doing their best to remove the fish from Lake Ontelaunee and see other benefits to their snakehead pursuit.
“I mean, just coming out here on the lake with friends, not being on my phone, just enjoying the weather,” Valick said, looking out over Lake Ontelaunee.
“And catching fish that I love.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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