[加拿大新聞] Burnaby park officials probing nasty snakehead

tiffiant

Burnaby park officials probing nasty snakehead fish allegedly spotted at Burnaby's Central Park lagoon

The invasive species is a top-level predatory fish that comes from Asia and Africa



Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Burnaby+park+officials+probing+nasty+snakehead+fish+allegedly+spotted+Burnaby+Central+Park/6626327/story.html#ixzz1v2q12XcH
METRO VANCOUVER — Burnaby park officials are investigating the reported sighting of a snakehead fish at the lagoon in Central Park.
“We haven’t actually witnessed it ourselves,” Don Hunter, assistant director of Burnaby parks, said Tuesday. Staff have contacted the ministry of the environment and a biologist to try to identify the fish supposedly sighted last weekend, he said.
A person made a recent video and posted it online with the comment: “Was at Central Park on Mother’s Day, took a walk around the lagoon to check out the carp and Koi. To my surprise I spotted a snakehead fish, a very large one.”
Snakeheads can grow up to a metre long, weigh six kilograms and a spawning female can release up to 15,000 eggs at once, mating up to five times a year.
They are voracious predators with teeth that eat other fish and small mammals.
Michael Russello, an associate professor of biology at the Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia, said it’s possible the fish could have been dumped out of a fish tank, which is what happened in the U.S.
“It’s a big problem down in the States,” Russello said. “They have a primitive lung that allows them to move across land to other water bodies,” he added.
“They’re very scary. They’re an ambush predator. They can take a small dog.”
The invasive species is a top-level predatory fish that comes from Asia and Africa.
It has been spotted in Ontario and is able to live out of water for slightly less than an hour while it slithers across land, seeking more ponds and lakes to invade.
Chris Harley, an associate professor of zoology at UBC, said he was shocked to find that snakehead fish are being sold live at the T&T market in Richmond.
“It doesn’t make sense to cater to live sales,” he said, adding it increases the risk of the invasive species being released into local waters.
He said some Buddhist temples release live seafood, in an act called “emancipation” to bring good karma.
Jonathan Moore, an assistant professor of biology at Simon Fraser University, said he would like to see a ban of live sales of snakehead fish.
“Many states [in the U.S.] have very strict controls on live fish sales, including live bait,” he said.
If the Burnaby sighting is confirmed, he said, “it’s something to be concerned about” because once an invasive species gets established, it’s difficult to remove.

tiffiant

The snakehead fish: Someone out for a stroll on Mother's Day saw one in the lagoon of Burnaby's Central Park and has posted it online.

Live snakehead fish being sold from tanks at the Osaka Market in Richmond. Some U.S. states have banned or severely restricted sales of live fish such as snakeheads, a voracious invasive species.

These invasive periwinkle sea snails ((Littorina littorea, native to Europe) were found in Stanley Park. They are sold live at local fish markets.

B2L2

Just tell the Chinese that they could go catch the snakehead fish for free, problem solved.

(only now I know they call snakehead fish).

stevoo

係吾係"生魚"?

MoiRhapsody

係生魚

peter236

Just tell the Chinese that they could go catch the snakehead fish for free, problem solved.

(only n ...
B2L2 發表於 2012-5-16 10:40

The Chinese will not do that, since they do not like this type of fish, or anything that is free.

You should tell the Indians or Filipinos do that, problem solved.
Just tell the Japanese, they will eat any fish for sashimi.

chobit

same as this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpOhF2htaG0

MoiRhapsody

吓？？中國人唔like生魚？？？
peter仔真係噏得出就噏！

somewhereintime

生魚野葛菜蜜棗湯:):):)

jiujiujiu

吓？？中國人唔like生魚？？？
peter仔真係噏得出就噏！
MoiRhapsody 發表於 2012-5-16 19:55

totally agree!!
生魚唔係中國人食, 係咩人食呀~ 阿Peter仔.. 真係...