Does Maryland still offer bounties for snakeheads

[RealtreeByGod]

I think that'd be a fun way to try to make money one weekend. 

[YoTone]

no

[TOXIC]

Both Virginia and Maryland require you to kill them if you are going to keep them.  No live snake heads allowed in possession.  We never bring ice or a cooler separate from the boat cooler or livewell so we end up just killing them and making them crab food.  If I was to keep them, I would bring a separate cooler with ice because with these hot days, they would go bad pretty quick after you killed them, which is the requirement.  There are some bigguns out there though!!

 

 

[Junger]

48 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Both Virginia and Maryland require you to kill them if you are going to keep them.  No live snake heads allowed in possession.  We never bring ice or a cooler separate from the boat cooler or livewell so we end up just killing them and making them crab food.  If I was to keep them, I would bring a separate cooler with ice because with these hot days, they would go bad pretty quick after you killed them, which is the requirement.  There are some bigguns out there though!!

You should sell em wholesale to Profish or a local market since it's now legal in VA! $6-8/lb!

[flyfisher]

it is not required to kill a snakehead unless you are keeping it.  Catch and release is totally fine but you can't keep them alive in your live well.

[BrianinMD]

There has never been a requirement to kill them, only a request that any caught are killed. A quick removal of the gills with a pair of pliers will do the trick. They are great eating, take them home and have a fish fry.

 

Btw, the blue catfish are under the same request to kill but no where near the discussion.

[BW544]

On the Eastern shore Denton Rod and Tackle are having a Snakehead Tournament largest fish wins. There are certain rules that I can't remember at the moment but you can find them on their FB page.  

[MDBowHunter]

On 7/3/2018 at 1:24 PM, TOXIC said:

Both Virginia and Maryland require you to kill them if you are going to keep them.  No live snake heads allowed in possession.  We never bring ice or a cooler separate from the boat cooler or livewell so we end up just killing them and making them crab food.  If I was to keep them, I would bring a separate cooler with ice because with these hot days, they would go bad pretty quick after you killed them, which is the requirement.  There are some bigguns out there though!!

 

 

Your completely wrong, killing them is not required by law. It is illegal to transfer them to other bodies of water, but they can be returned alive at the location of the catch. Again there is no law stating that you must kill them, none

 

On 7/4/2018 at 7:45 AM, BrianinMD said:

There has never been a requirement to kill them, only a request that any caught are killed. A quick removal of the gills with a pair of pliers will do the trick. They are great eating, take them home and have a fish fry.

 

Btw, the blue catfish are under the same request to kill but no where near the discussion.

Thats because of the money being generated from the guides who guide for them. A lot of them same guides also require that you release anything over 10 pounds back into the water alive.

[TOXIC]

31 minutes ago, MDBowHunter said:

Your completely wrong, killing them is not required by law. It is illegal to transfer them to other bodies of water, but they can be returned alive at the location of the catch. Again there is no law stating that you must kill them, none

 

 

No you are completely wrong.  Go to your DNR website....better yet I'll put it here for you to read.  Emphasis added for you.  

 

Snakehead

It is against Maryland, Virginia, and federal laws to possess, import, or transport live northern snakehead.

If you catch a snakehead and want to keep it, you must immediately kill the fish by removing its head, gutting it or removing its gill arches. Anglers are encouraged to catch and keep northern snakeheads year round. There is no minimum size or creel limit for snakeheads.

[MDBowHunter]

20 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

No you are completely wrong.  Go to your DNR website....better yet I'll put it here for you to read.  Emphasis added for you.  

 

Snakehead

It is against Maryland, Virginia, and federal laws to possess, import, or transport live northern snakehead.

If you catch a snakehead and want to keep it, you must immediately kill the fish by removing its head, gutting it or removing its gill arches. Anglers are encouraged to catch and keep northern snakeheads year round. There is no minimum size or creel limit for snakeheads.

You only need to kill them if your keeping them because transporting them alive is illegal, but if you read your second line it reads encourages you to keep and kill them but in no way does it say you are required to kill any snakehead caught. I've lived in Maryland all my life, and fish for these a lot and have returned many of them perfectly alive, and I've had this same conversation with a DNR guy who watched me catch and release one in Mallows Bay.

 

 

Straight from Virginia Game and inland Fisheries:

 

What should someone do if they think they’ve found a snakehead fish?

Before going fishing, anglers should familiarize themselves with the fish species found in Virginia. There are several native species including bowfin, lamprey, and American eel that look similar to the northern snakehead. For more information and assistance with learning the identifying differences between snakehead fish and native species, please see our “Do You Know The Difference?” information page. Any unusual fish needs to be reported to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. We have established a snakehead hotline that anglers can use to report snakehead fish (804-367-2925). There is also a new, easy-to-use web application for reporting observations. Anglers are required to report snakeheads kept but are not required to kill them if caught and immediately released.  Snakeheads must be dead if in possession (contained in live well, cooler, etc.)  However, the Department asks that all snakeheads be killed if possible. If an angler wishes to keep a legally caught northern snakehead, the fish must be killed to be in possession, and the angler must call the hotline or other VDGIF contact and report the angler’s last name, date of catch, location of catch, and size. Kill the fish by:

1. removing the head,
2. separating the gill arches from the body, or
3. removing the internal organs and put it on ice as quickly as possible.

Is it illegal to own a snakehead fish in Virginia?

Yes, it is illegal to own one without a permit. In 2002, the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries added the snakehead fish to the list of predatory and undesirable exotic species, making it illegal to possess a snakehead fish in Virginia without a permit issued by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Federal regulations enacted in October 2002 prohibit the importation of snakehead fish into the United States and prohibit interstate transport of these animals. Individuals who still own a live snakehead need to contact the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries immediately for proper disposal of the fish. Effective July 1, 2005, anglers who legally catch a snakehead may keep the fish to mount or eat providing they:

1. immediately kill the fish using one or more of the alternatives listed above and
2. notify the Department at the number listed above or by calling an office.

What will the Department do now that snakeheads have been found in Virginia?

Biologists continue to sample snakehead-colonized waters in an effort to learn more about the ecology and biology of this exotic fish in Virginia. Migration, exploitation, food habits, growth, and behavior of northern snakeheads are being studied; and attempts are being made to determine what impacts, if any, are occurring to aquatic communities as a result of colonization.

The Department has membership on the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Snakehead Control and Management Plan (SCMP) Work Group. This group assembled and submitted recommendations to the U. S. Congress.

What kind of impact could a snakehead population have in Virginia?

Exotic species like snakeheads can disrupt natural aquatic systems and may have significant impacts by feeding on and competing with native and/or naturalized fishes. In addition, they may transmit parasites and diseases to native wildlife in those systems.

Do we have to be concerned about snakehead fish appearing in other waters in Virginia?

Yes. While snakeheads are freshwater fish, it has been determined that they can tolerate a fairly high level of salinity (this is especially true for juveniles with lower water temperatures). They may be able to colonize additional drainages through extreme storm events riding freshets or by illegal introductions.

Are snakehead fish dangerous?

While northern snakeheads do not attack humans or small pets, they may present threats to our native and/or naturalized wildlife and ecosystems.

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries wants anglers to be aware of the identifying features of the species they are catching and to report any unusual fish caught. Call the Department at (804) 367-2925. Anyone who still has a snakehead fish needs to contact the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries immediately and SHOULD NOT to release it into the wild. Call (804) 367-2925 and VDGIF will assist in the proper disposal of the fish.

For additional information:

See:

• Odenkirk, J.S., and M. W. Isel.  2016.  Trends in abundance of Northern Snakeheads in Virginia tributaries of the Potomac River.  Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 145: 687-692.
• Odenkirk, J., C. Lim, S. Owens, and M. Isel. 2014. Insight into age and growth of northern snakehead in the Potomac River. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 33:4, 773-776.
• Odenkirk, J. and S. Owens. 2007. Expansion of a northern snakehead population in the Potomac River system. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 136:1633-1639.
• Odenkirk, J. and S. Owens. 2005. Northern Snakeheads in the tidal Potomac River system. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 134: 1605-1609.

Available online from www.fisheries.org.

Updated 4/27/2017

• Virginia Tech Study Website
• Snakehead Identification: Do You Know The Difference?
• Northern Snakehead Fish Distribution in Virginia 

[Logan S]

2 minutes ago, MDBowHunter said:

You only need to kill them if your keeping them because transporting them alive is illegal, but if you read your second line it reads encourages you to keep and kill them but in no way does it say you are required to kill any snakehead caught. I've lived in Maryland all my life, and fish for these a lot and have returned many of them perfectly alive, and I've had this same conversation with a DNR guy who watched me catch and release one in Mallows Bay.

 

 

That's exactly what his post said....

 

On 7/3/2018 at 1:24 PM, TOXIC said:

Both Virginia and Maryland require you to kill them if you are going to keep them.  No live snake heads allowed in possession.

 

[TOXIC]

1 hour ago, MDBowHunter said:

However, the Department asks that all snakeheads be killed if possible.

To kill every caught Snakehead is an option and DNR "asks" that they be killed no matter whether you keep them or not.  I pulled the quote from your post.  My post just relayed what we do.  We kill them.  We are not mandated to..... and we are not breaking any regulations by doing so.  You can live release if you want to, you can keep and kill (mandated) or you can catch and kill without keeping.  Not too hard to understand.  Being that the DNR asks us to kill them whether or not they are kept, we choose to do so.  A lot of fishermen kill them and bring them in for disposal at the ramp.  Makes for 1 stinky dumpster.  In this case the "catch and release" fervor doesn't apply the same as it does with Bass.  DNR is pretty clear, they are an invasive and they want them dead.  

[flyfisher]

Killing a snakehead just to kill it isn't going to do anything to the population and to me is just wanton waste.  If you don't want to keep and eat them, then release them.  

[TOXIC]

14 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

Killing a snakehead just to kill it isn't going to do anything to the population and to me is just wanton waste.  If you don't want to keep and eat them, then release them.  

I-N-V-A-S-I-V-E.  I have -0- problem dispatching them.  All fish life is not sacred.  

[flyfisher]

so do you kill the invasive bass too?  

[TOXIC]

No because the DNR does not ask me to.  

[Choporoz]

Probably about half the times I've caught them, there is someone within hollerin' distance who wants it.  The rest, I release.  I'm not yet convinced they are going to harm the bass population...no more than blue cats, anyway.

Nothing too scientific here, but I enjoyed the reading....

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/stop-killing-the-potomacs-snakehead/2018/07/13/c48ecf7e-7e3c-11e8-b660-4d0f9f0351f1_story.html?utm_term=.042076eda025

 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/06/16/apparently-the-once-feared-snakehead-is-just-another-fish-in-the-potomac/?utm_term=.5759a4de29cb

[flyfisher]

9 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

No because the DNR does not ask me to.  

oh so being invasive has nothing to do with it...you should at least keep your reasons straight.

[TOXIC]

2 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

oh so being invasive has nothing to do with it...you should at least keep your reasons straight.

I don't understand what your problem is with killing a Snakehead.  I kill Crappie/Bluegills/Walleye/Perch/catfish and a few other species to eat, I can legally kill Bass too, up to the legal creel limit.  I have eaten snakehead and it is very good but I don't regularly bring a separate cooler to keep them in.  Every other fish I consume can be kept live.  Snakeheads cannot.   The DNR asks that they be killed so I do.  Not wanton waste. Sorry if I offended your moral high ground.  

 

Quote

Board of Game and Inland Fisheries added the snakehead fish to the list of predatory and undesirable exotic species

 

[flyfisher]

no moral high ground here i just don't see the need to kill something when given the option tp release alive and you aren't going to eat it.  Killing just to kill it is waste to me. 

 

[Junger]

Everyone is going to have their opinion, and if the DNR (MD or VA) says that you can kill them, it's within the angler's right to kill them for whatever reason they want.

 

My person opinion is that the NSH is a great sportfish, and I welcome them primarily due to facts based science. After almost two decades of NSH in the DMV watershed, they've found their own niche and are not impacting the environment and decimating the native population, btw LMB, Blue Cats, and Flatheads are not native.

 

John Odenkirk, the resident expert on the subject matter: 

 

 

[Logan S]

If you kill it and chuck it...It'll become a meal for a turtle, eagle, osprey, buzzard or something else within hours.  No need to get philosophical about it, the river wastes nothing.

 

I think it's important to realize that the Potomac is a huge ecosystem that's very different from other bass fisheries...It gets influxes of predator and prey species from the bay/saltwater constantly so a new predator like the snakehead is probably not THAT big of a deal in the big picture....BUT, since the snakehead guys seem to be hellbent on illegally stocking them in every other waterway in the area they COULD and probably will end up in a place where they do real damage to the fishery.  Black Hill (Little Seneca) comes to mind as one such place where there could be a negative impact and they were just recently found there.  

 

If people don't want to kill them on the Potomac that's their call, I think everyone agrees that they aren't going anywhere at this point...But any snakehead caught outside the Potomac should be killed immediately IMO.  

[TOXIC]

Look, I'm not trying to change anyone's opinion about snakeheads and I have talked with Odenkirk about the issue.  His opinion is not different from the official stance that they are an exotic invasive species and the watershed would be better off without them.  Just because they haven't impacted the ecosystem as bad as was originally predicted (though a lot of that was media hype) and the science proves that out with the stomach surveys, electrofishing, etc., doesn't mean they are a welcome addition.  One reason they have been kept in check is the bowfishing element that harvests hundreds of pounds an outing.  Making them a viable food fish was also a good move.  

 

There are many species of fish that are killed and thrown into a dumpster by bow fishermen including some species of carp and gar.  Do they not deserve your protection as well?  Snakehead are not a sportfish so don't label them that way.  They are an unwelcome, non-native fish.  When DNR says to stop killing them I will, that is a decision based on science not emotion and if I choose to keep them to eat I will.  

[Logan S]

1 hour ago, Junger said:

everyone is going to have their opinion, and if the DNR (MD or VA) says that you can kill them, it's within the angler's right to kill them for whatever reason they want.

One thing about this statement.... MD and VA DNR's don't say that you can kill them, they both say that you SHOULD kill them.  It might seem like semantics, but that distinction it pretty important when determining the 'official' stance on the fish by authorities.  They don't want them in the ecosystem.  

[Junger]

15 minutes ago, Logan S said:

One thing about this statement.... MD and VA DNR's don't say that you can kill them, they both say that you SHOULD kill them.  It might seem like semantics, but that distinction it pretty important when determining the 'official' stance on the fish by authorities.  They don't want them in the ecosystem.  

They already say that they must be killed if taken in possession, so that's an official position. Should and Must are also very different, and it leaves the decision in the hands of the angler. If you want to kill them, I have no problem with it. I just don't like when people get the facts wrong and say that they must be killed all the time.

 

19 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Snakehead are not a sportfish so don't label them that way.  They are an unwelcome, non-native fish.  When DNR says to stop killing them I will, that is a decision based on science not emotion and if I choose to keep them to eat I will.  

Is there an official definition of sportfish? Just curious, my interpretation is that if I need a fishing license to catch something, it's a sportsfish. I think you know the DNR rules, but again, must kill if possession, should kill is not must so the angler can decide to catch and release. They are good eating for sure, but I only keep certain sizes (4-6lbs).