Invasive Species are Taking Over Our Bay

Sounds like something from a sci-fi movie doesn't it? Well, it's kinda like that actually… Invasive species are plants or animals that have been introduced, whether accidentally or on purpose, into a place where they did not naturally evolve. They become "invasive" when they have no natural predators in this new environment, creating an unnatural imbalance in the local ecology. They cause enormous harm by encroaching on the food or habitat of natives, over-establishing themselves at their expense. Dealing with them is a big problem since once an invasive is well established it can be almost impossible to eradicate!

The Chesapeake suffers from some particularly troubling invasives —like the Northern Snakehead, a long fish with a mottled, snake-like pattern and lots of teeth. Native to China, they were first discovered in a pond in Crofton, Maryland in 2000. Now they have spread to the Potomac River, its tributaries, and the Rappahannock River. In Maryland and Virginia, anglers that catch the fish are required to kill it.