Oldtimr

Well we now have the stinking things (Snake heads) in the Susquehanna river in PA. 35 of them have been caught between Conawingo dam and the Holt wood dam. Not good for our native fish, small mouth, cat fish Crappies etc. It is illegal to release them back into the water if you catch one in PA you must kill them by law. I suspect it will not be long before they get above the Safe Harbor dam. What is the matter with people releasing these stinking all mouth and no head trash where they don't belong, they don't belong in this country period.

Bocajnala

I'm just waiting for V to show up....


-Jake

Bocajnala

I have READ that they are a tasty fish to eat. Not that's there's anything good about invasives.... But at least like with hogs, they could eventually prove to have value as a sport fish and to eat.

-Jake

Oldtimr

I saw a show about fishermen and Snake heads a couple of years ago where they held tournaments in bodies of water that held them and that state was encouraging people try them because they were good to eat. They are a food fish where they come from. Problem is you cannot catch them fast enough to get rid of them. When you have them they are here to stay.

mrbb

maybe its time to start having more bounties on things like these things and hogs and such, where there numbers are out of control and getting worse
I would have to sort of think, paying folks a reward or bounty, is cheaper than the long term damages they will do, and irreversible things they can kill and wipe out!

I know its not a perfect deal, but it sure might make more folks help out in solving these issue's

I'd bet these fish would make good fertilizer?? could be sold after collecting at places and sold or given away as such?

just food for thought here>

a s I think we need more possible solutions, than just folks complaining about things

were becoming a society that seems to know all the problems, but doesn;t solve many any more!
too much fighting between sides to get much done, and just more and more problems coming about!

Oldtimr

Bounties have never worked to eliminate unwanted species. In fact, some species like the coyote actually increase reproduction when they are pressured by hunters. All bounties do is take money from game and fish agencies and put in the pocket hunters, many of which would not even bother to hunt the species the bounties were paid on if not for the bounty.

mrbb

I will highly disagree, there is almost NO stronger motivator than money to get folks to do anything
and this excuse you give is what SOME game depts always say, as a way to not have to do any more work, or give out any funds
you use coyotes as am example

I call BS< there(not on them breeding more), but on numbers getting higher, since the bounties have been gone, more and more folks NOW see them than EVER!


you say Bounties DON"T work
look back at history better, buffalo
s?? almost extinct, due to bounties on them
as with many other species

current PROOF< is look at FL, and Python's, an invasive species going wild down there and bounties and price tags on them have got a LOT of folks hunting them that would NOT be if not!
face it, money motivates folks

I am NOT saying its a perfect system and will get TONS of folks out helping, but it WILL motivate many.

and if the point of things is TRYING to get rid of invasive species, a reward is ONE way of getting things going in the right direction
as again,
$$ motivates

depts need to find new ways to MAKE money if need be
as I said, turn then fish into fertilizer, or sell in some other way
YES ,more work for the game dept workers, BOO HOO!
sorry, life isn;t always fun and easy!

but having invasive species taking over water ways and ruining other wildlife in them, is NOT very good job of the game and fish dept people that are supposed to be keeping this stuff in Check
NO??
it IS THERE JOB< to enforce and protect wildlife and fish, NO?

SO< more work, more money?
if that is what is needed, it needs to be done!
doing Nothing sure ain't going to help anything here!
MY solution isn't perfect by any means, its JUST ONE option that can MAYBE help get rid of MORE than what's going on now!

IF the GAME Dept foesn't think many will do so, they shouldn;t worry about the costs!

Oldtimr

You can highly disagree all you want but you will be wrong! PA had a bounty system on hawks and owls and foxes for years. All that happened was that the PGC spent a lot of money and the animals and birds that they were trying to eraticate were still present. In fact the unlawful submission of birds and animals from other states was rampant. Bounties do not work, period. They just make people think they are doing something.

mrbb

I really wish you would get off your HIGHT and MIGHTY Horse
I am NOT wrong, you are
the facts are simple and not made up
rewards and bounties DO work and are used in countless things today for this reason
rewards for tips on crime, finding things, are ALL proven methods that WORK to get help when others other wise maybe wouldn;t!

the facts are again, PROVEN< that many things that had bounties on them throughout history were killed off to the point of becoming extinct or some have! and many are close and why so many are now protected!
(and there are REWARDS to those that give TIPS leading to arrests of folks that still KILL THEM)


this is a FACT, I am NOT wrong
look it up if you think I am wrong before calling someone something that is FALSE!
I gave you FACTUAL examples

so, maybe before you go being a EX GAME WARDEN that knows it all, look back at your former employers history
you wish to TRY and use , the old bounty crap on hawks and owls and foxes, which was THERE TO GET RID OF SMALL GAME KILLERS!
trying to save the pheasants mostly!
when the problem wasn't really ALL predator, heck the major player in there loss wasn't even them

YET< TONS of folks DID shoot and kill hawks and owls and foxes when there was a reward /bounty on them'
so that is a FACT< it DID work
it got folks to shoot and kill hawks/owls and foxes!
or do you believe it did NOT do this??

NO it didn;t save our pheasants
that was a issue with many other problems That quite frankly the PA game commission dropped the ball on BIG time
going from a top 5 state to almost zero wild pheasants, is a SHAME!
the hundreds of MILLIONS of dollars WASTED on pen raised birds, known to NOT make it on there own at super HIGH death rates if NOT shot by hunters!

was a LOT of wasted money, that could have been spent on BUILDING habitat that could support them, acquiring more land that could be shaped into this habitat too!

talk about wasted $$
well, never hear any wardens ever stand up and admit this was a failure on there part!, and trust me been to enough meetings and asked and heard the excuses they give!

or talks about the damages done to PA's forest, from MAJOR over browsing left go for far too long before anyone seemed to notice!
now were having grouse issue's
after a more than a decade of hunters and folks saying there numbers are WAY down
the PA GC< finally is admitting there is an issue??
its SLOW reactions like this that are the problem!

things get too far gone, before any REAL actions seem to ever happen!!
this is HOW invasive species take HOLD of places
waiting TOO long to take action!!

and before you go thinking I am a PA GC hater, I am NOT, I am very GLAD there , there!
they have done countless GREAT things since there start up, I am personal friends with MANY that work for the PA GC< both current on the job and retired and have even worked with them countless times in my yrs!

but there is NO denying the FACTS of things they have FAILED AT too!
and the FACT your EX warden, makes you IMO< have strong feelings to ALWAYS defend them!, over looking maybe some things
and thus why your so QUICK to call me out at times!, when you have NO honest right to TELL me I am WRONG, when I gave facts to prove I was NOT!

I will never be one to back down from a BULLY., which you are trying to be here IMO!

ignoring FACTS to say YOUR RIGHT!!


nothing motivates like MONEY< but MAYBE FEAR!!
the two strongest motivation tools in life period!

Champlain Islander

I have talked with our biologists about them. So far we haven't had any here in Vt but like all other invasive species they seem to find their way into other bodies of water.This particular fish has the ability to migrate from one body of water over short pieces of land to an adjacent stream thereby going from one lake or pond to another. Most places in southern NY state where they have showed up were killed off with roetenone along with every living fish in that body of water. After the pond or lake was fish free they can stock and re-establish the native fishery. These invasive fish are one of the most feared by biologists. They often start from some brain dead person emptying their aquarium into a body of water. You can't catch them all to eliminate them. They reproduce too fast to eliminate them and they eat voraciously so growth rate is phenomenal..