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30 November 2023 Notes on the Occurrence of Northern Snakehead in a Mid-Atlantic Lake System: 16 Years of Monitoring
Colin R. Rohrback, David H. Keller, Paul F. Overbeck, Daniel P. Morrill
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Abstract

Channa argus (Northern Snakehead) was first discovered in Pennsylvania and the Delaware River watershed in 2004 in Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park (FDRP), Philadelphia, PA. We monitored this population by boat and/or backpack electrofishing from 2005 to 2021. Our objective was to summarize common population characteristics and compare these with other non-native Northern Snakehead populations. Length-at-age data indicated the FDRP population was slower growing and lacked larger individuals relative to other populations. Data from stomach dissection documented feeding on Anguilla rostrata (American Eel), Lepomis macrochirus (Bluegill), Lepomis gibbosus (Pumpkinseed), Fundulus diaphanus (Banded Killifish), and Micropterus salmoides (Largemouth Bass), suggesting potential impacts to these species. Backpack electrofishing in 2005 and 2008 showed significant decreases in the densities of American Eel and Banded Killifish which may be due to predation by Northern Snakehead.

Colin R. Rohrback, David H. Keller, Paul F. Overbeck, and Daniel P. Morrill "Notes on the Occurrence of Northern Snakehead in a Mid-Atlantic Lake System: 16 Years of Monitoring," Northeastern Naturalist 30(4), 429-439, (30 November 2023). https://doi.org/10.1656/045.030.0406
Published: 30 November 2023
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