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CNN Live At Daybreak

Officials Hope to Finish Off Snake Head Fish

Aired September 04, 2002 - 06:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk creepy fish now, shall we? If at first you don't succeed, once again, wildlife officials in Maryland will try to wipe out those nasty, little carnivorous snake head fish. They have tried herbicides. They didn't work. So today, they are trying something different.
Joining us with details is Jennifer Franciotti from our Baltimore affiliate, WBAL.

Good morning -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER FRANCIOTTI, CNN AFFILIATE WBAL REPORTER: Hi, good morning.

Well, right now, it's a showdown between the northern snake head fish and the Department of Natural Resources. In just about 20 minutes, crews will set out in boats on the pond to begin spraying the chemical called Rotenone. Once they do, the fish will start dying, and it's a death that's expected to come fairly quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANCIOTTI (voice-over): Last month, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources applied an herbicide to the pond to kill the thick vegetation that could have provided a hiding place for the snake head fish. Now, DNR is going directly after the so-called "frankenfish" with a poison that will kill other fish in the pond as well, a necessary evil, according to biologists, who fear the Chinese invaders are a threat to the environment.

The snake heads are predators with veracious appetites. They can grow up to three feet long and cannot only survive up to four days out of water, but they can move on land. They can wiggle, and to environmentalists, that means the fish could get into other Maryland waterways, something that could be devastating to the state's ecosystem.

Two years ago, a pair of snake heads were dropped into the Crofton pond by a Maryland man, who had bought them at a New York market. Earlier this summer, one was caught by a local fisherman. Since that time, hundreds of juvenile snake heads have been captured as well, a wake-up call to biologists that the fish can not only survive in Maryland, but are thriving and breeding.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANCIOTTI: And once the poison is applied, the fish are expected to start dying within the next three or four hours.

They are using the chemical Rotenone, because it breaks down very fast. It's also not harmful to humans or live animals that happen to eat the dead fish.

Reporting live in Crofton for CNN, Jennifer Franciotti, WBAL-11 News.

COSTELLO: So, Jennifer, that's how the frankenfish got into the water, some guy from New York just dropped two in the drink?

FRANCIOTTI: That's right, and had absolutely no idea the effect it could have on the Maryland environment, or the effect it would have on the national media.

COSTELLO: Got you. So he is not going to be in trouble in any way.

FRANCIOTTI: No. Apparently, the statute of limitations has already run out, so he can't be charged, convicted or fined in any way.

COSTELLO: Got you. But he'll never do that again, I'll bet.

FRANCIOTTI: I hope not, and that's what Maryland environmentalists don't want to see happen. That's why they want to kill the fish to make sure nobody else gets a hold of them.

COSTELLO: Yes, hopefully they'll be successful this time. Thank you, Jennifer.

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