Evidence has surfaced that the highly invasive “Frankenfish” from Asia has turned up in the B.C. Lower Mainland.
Evidence has surfaced that the highly invasive “Frankenfish” from Asia has turned up in the B.C. Lower Mainland.
A video posted on YouTube purports to show the fish, otherwise known as a snakehead, swimming in a pond at a Burnaby park. As the CBC reports, a biologist will inspect the pond to determine whether the fish has indeed found its way to Canada. “We’ve contacted the Ministry of Environment to find out the protocol for dealing with this and we’ve also contacted a biologist to come in and actually confirm that it is actually one of these snakehead fish,” Don Hunter, Burnaby’s assistant director of parks, told the CBC.
Known for their unusual appearance and rows of jagged teeth, snakeheads feed on just about anything: other fish, frogs, birds—even pets. Needless to say, the eel-like creatures, which hail from China and Siberia, are considered a threat to native species. And with their ability to grow up to a metre long, and a lung capacity that allows them to wriggle on land and travel between bodies of water, it’s no secret how they earned their sinister nickname.
“This little creek eventually runs into the Fraser River,” Environment Canada B.C. Environment Ministry invasive species expert Matthias Herborg told the Canadian Press. “Them getting into the Fraser, that would be one of our biggest nightmares.”