Alexandria, Va.
Scientists confirmed this week that a baby northern snakehead had been found in the Potomac River—the first proof that the voracious fish are breeding in open waters. Scientists had been trying to eradicate the imported predators, which can crawl over land, before they began driving out bass and other local species. Biologists drained a Maryland pond where the first snakehead was found, in 2002, but began losing hope as anglers caught 19 more this summer. Scientists believe there may be thousands of baby snakeheads in the Potomac by now. “The snakeheads are in charge,” said Walter Courtenay Jr. of the U.S. Geological Survey.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The UK’s ‘wallaby boom’Under the Radar The Australian marsupial has ‘colonised’ the Isle of Man and is now making regular appearances on the UK mainland
-
Fast food is no longer affordable to low-income AmericansThe explainer Cheap meals are getting farther out of reach
-
‘The money to fix this problem already exists’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
