Finally got to eat snakehead and

[rocksandblues]

Wow is that a good eating fish!!!! I had no idea. There are some areas near Fredericksburg that are honestly full of snakeheads. I have a place and a borrowed kayak I can now fish here near home. Hope to catch my own real soon.

As soon as restaurants figure out away to make it sound appetizing the poachers will get the population in check ;)

But it is an amazing firm wonderful tasting meat. Honestly gives rockfish a run and maybe just a bit better even.

[Don Hershfeld]

There's a lot in a name, and this fish has a cultural and visual doozy.

Here's a substitute that exploits two out of three words that already suggest good eating, while still retaining the true essence of the critter with all three: "Chesapeake Longfin Snapper" OR since brevity is all the rage, assign the acronym CLS. With a little multiple popular local personality trendsetter push (all refering to how they like CLS best, perhaps) pretty soon everyone (who wants to seem to be with it) will be calling it by its quickstart name instead.

Swap out a cute or otherwise pleasing cartoon caricature for the menacing-looking 'reel' deal. Put an apron and chef's hat on it to hide the hideous head... that would not hurt one bit, and plays on the real name too. The associated text bubble reads "Snap 'em up!" of course.

Maybe work in some play on "Take a bite out'a ecological crime," an already popular advertising standard that confers 'Its the right thing to do' and from a green perspective especially.

Announce a study for the aquacultural feasibility of actually raising fast-growing, poor WQ tolerant CLS on a diet of gizzard shad or some other generalist, semi-inexhaustible, formerly worthless prey species, which poachers can then have at fairly easy, to supply as a legit income source. Maybe trap them to free up physical space for the more desirable shad at the fish passage facility at Little Falls or the often clogged one at Conowingo Dam... no nets needed.

Sanction a high-stakes CLS tournament, suggesting of course that a whole new set of boat, tackle, apparrel, etc is fashionable. When I was a boy, I fished for bass and sunnies, but now that I'm grown and am able to handle it...

There are so many ways to go with this lemon.

Have a TV commercial featuring the knock-off variation / audio substitute of "CLS" for "shrimp", from the scene in which Forest Gump is ticking off all the many ways it can bedeliciously prepared. Let's see, there's charbroiled CLS, coconut CLS, and so forth, with the actor's voice trailing off, suggesting no end to the possibilities. Then up pops the 'hook'... Delicious is as delicious does!" If the fish is only active and catchable during the warmer part of the year, play off its limited seasonal availability, "Celebrate... CLS is back in season!". Get it while you still can...

[mitchmtm1]

rocksandblues, I'm assuming that you mean in the Potomac not too far from Fredericksburg. Correct?

I have never heard of a confirmed report in the Rappahannock ....YET.



Mitch

[grover123]

Rocksandblues how was it cooked? Going to catch a few before a July 4th party and try them out.

[Capt.Nick]

These fish were reportedly "introduced" to the Potomac by those that have enjoyed eating them for generations.I believe they were looking for a closer source to harvest them.An Oriental recipe might be a good start.

[rocksandblues]

Marinated and grilled.

Yes Potomac

[Don Hershfeld]

These fish were reportedly "introduced" to the Potomac by those that have enjoyed eating them for generations.I believe they were looking for a closer source to harvest them.An Oriental recipe might be a good start.

Hmmm... wonder what you might be implying here? Not very PC, no matter how close the dots may be, or that the transport of live specimens was so quickly banned suggests anything of the sort... I'm just sayin'.

My inferences ran along any identical (intentional introduction) lines when the problem first reared its head and aquarium enthusiasts were initially implicated... possible, but unlikely, IMO. Its a LONG 'walk' over dry land laced with roads between that Crofton pond and the tidal Potomac, plus I suspect that pond held bass that would have made quick work out of little Finny and Slimy had they merely been former goldfish bowl occupants.

When relocating, our forefathers, and their's, and every other people group's for that matter have always practiced playing Johny Appleseed right from the beginning of time, I suspect. The Brits did it with trout of course, throughout their far-flung naval empire. Had the people from original 'snakehead country' had a comparable navy and ambitions way back when, CLS would have arrived on our shores far, far sooner, you can bet.

[cwoods]

A name change might make them more marketable.
Oriental Salmon?
Chinese Cod?
Emporers Delight?
Redened Blackfish?

[swampfox]

"Potomac Pike"

Kill and grill.

Marinate 30 mins in: ½ cup soy sauce, 2T sesame oil, 1T sugar, 1T garlic powder (NOT garlic salt), 1t pizza pepper, 1 t Accent or MSG.

Serve with sliced green onions for color and flavor.

Enjoy with ice cold beer!

[jrhjr]

Hmmm... wonder what you might be implying here? Not very PC, no matter how close the dots may be, or that the transport of live specimens was so quickly banned suggests anything of the sort... I'm just sayin'.

My inferences ran along any identical (intentional introduction) lines when the problem first reared its head and aquarium enthusiasts were initially implicated... possible, but unlikely, IMO. Its a LONG 'walk' over dry land laced with roads between that Crofton pond and the tidal Potomac, plus I suspect that pond held bass that would have made quick work out of little Finny and Slimy had they merely been former goldfish bowl occupants.

When relocating, our forefathers, and their's, and every other people group's for that matter have always practiced playing Johny Appleseed right from the beginning of time, I suspect. The Brits did it with trout of course, throughout their far-flung naval empire. Had the people from original 'snakehead country' had a comparable navy and ambitions way back when, CLS would have arrived on our shores far, far sooner, you can bet.

Crofton is in the Patuxent watershed. I was checking this because so many are now being caught in the Anacostia (Potomac tributary), and Crofton's not that far from there, but I didn't think there was a clear path downstream ...it's not. The Schnakeheads in the Anacostia have either migrated up stream from down at Dogue Creek around Ft. Belvoir (site of the original "introduction"... this is actually a bit of a scary thought because there are so many and large one's in the Anacostia ) or... they've been introduced there as well. It's very unlikely they came from "The Crofton Pond". When they (schnakeheads) were originally discovered there, the pond was very quickly cordoned off and subsequently poisoned and drained to hopefully preclude their spreading. The Dogue creek indecent was separate yet pretty much coincided. The theories are the same about how they got there (aquarium fish, intentional release) There is a shallow "pond" (actually more of a backwater) behind an old earthen dam West of Rt 1 (Dogue creek is tidal East of Rt 1) that is probably the original point of introduction. That and/or one of a few other "ponds" upstream from there. This is also the site of Huntley Meadows Park (this is a very large (1500+ acre) wetlands area). When these fish first showed up in Dogue creek some years ago, the thought was it might be limited or "go away", actually was fairly in check...for a while. Just a year or two ago some guys were netting herring at the Rt 1 crossing and ended up netting a cooler full of Schnakeheads which had washed over the "Dam"
Game Over.