Officials work to thwart the invasion of 'fishzilla' | canada.com

With razor-sharp teeth and dark, slimy skin, snakehead fish imported from Asia make for some pretty exotic pets. And some foodies say their tender, white flesh make for some tasty filets.

But if they are ever released into the Canadian wild and start reproducing, experts warn, the predatory fish ? which have been dubbed the ?fish from hell? and ?fishzilla? ? could wreak havoc on our lakes and waterways, destroying native plants and fish populations.

It?s why environment, fisheries and law enforcement officials are ramping up efforts to prevent the import and sale of these and other invasive fish species.

?This is high on the radar screen for concern,? said Becky Cudmore, a senior science advisor on aquatic invasive species with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. ?We want to remain on the front-end of an invasion. We want to prevent them from reaching Canadian waters.?

A Toronto-area pet shop owner this month was fined tens of thousands of dollars ? even ordered to spend? 60 days in jail ? following a joint U.S.-Canada investigation, dubbed ?Operation Serpent,? into the illegal export and sale of snakeheads from Ontario into New York state.

Ontario banned the sale and possession of snakeheads and other fish species several years ago.

Officials with the environment ministry in B.C., where informal surveys have found snakeheads for sale at some pet stores and food markets, say they are working on adopting similar regulations.

?Considering the potential danger they pose to local ecosystems it remains our priority to institute a regulatory ban as soon as possible,? said ministry spokesman Stuart Bertrand.

The province was spurred into action after a half-metre long blotched snakehead was captured this spring in a pond east of Vancouver and euthanized. The fish is now in the possession of the Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria.

Becky Cudmore, a senior science advisor with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, purchased this snakehead fish from a market in Richmond, B.C., in 2008. The government is stepping up efforts to prevent the import and sale of invasive fish species like this one.

Meanwhile, at the federal level, officials are working on amending the Fisheries Act to include a ban on the import and inter-provincial transport of ?high-risk? invasive fish species, such as the snakehead.

And the Canada Border Services Agency, which published a fact sheet last month calling the import of invasive fish species an ?emerging threat,? has stepped up its vigilance at border crossings. In January and February alone, more than 23,000 pounds of live Asian carps, another invasive fish species, were seized at the Windsor, Ont., border.

?Asian carps have the potential to significantly impact recreational and commercial activities in the Great Lakes,? the fact sheet said.

South of the border, where reproducing snakehead populations have been found in Maryland and Florida, invasive fish species are a growing concern.

?When they become established in larger river systems and larger bodies of water they are extremely aggressive fish, a voracious predator,? said Neil Mendelsohn, acting special agent in charge of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service?s northeast region.

Mendelsohn led a team of investigators in an undercover sting operation targeting the Toronto-area pet shop owner.

According to New York state court records, the owner sent an undercover agent a UPS shipment containing 26 giant snakeheads in July 2011.

In December, the owner sold the undercover agent an additional 154 snakeheads at his store. He reportedly told the agent that he doesn?t like to keep snakeheads in his store because he?d get in trouble if Environment Canada officials showed up.

The agent said he was told that the store gets snakehead?shipments?every couple of weeks from an importer who obtains them from Thailand.

?When they become established in larger river systems and larger bodies of water they are extremely aggressive fish, a voracious predator.? ?? Neil Mendelsohn, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service?s northeast region.

Judges on both sides of the border subsequently ordered the store and its owner, Jim Ip, to pay more than $90,000 in fines for violating federal and provincial regulations. Ip was also sentenced in Canada to two 60-day jail terms.

Ip declined comment when reached Friday at his store.

In an effort to control the snakehead population, Americans have come up with some creative solutions.

Maryland?s department of natural resources took the step earlier this year of offering anglers $200 gift cards and other prizes for catching snakehead fish in the state?s waterways.

Some top chefs have suggested that the way to eradicate them is to create demand for them in restaurants, the Baltimore Sun reported last year, citing one chef who praised snakeheads? meaty-yet-flaky texture and ?real sweet aftertaste.?

But others said such a plan could backfire. If diners really?take a liking to eating snakehead, there?ll be an incentive to keep them around.

Source: http://o.canada.com/2012/11/16/officials-work-to-thwart-the-invasion-of-fishzilla/

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