On 9/25/03 1:41 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Rich Conley
wrote...

They seemed to do fine in a couple of ponds that someone introduced them to
in Mass, and it gets a lot
colder than 60 in the water there too...you may have to worry. We had to nuke
the ponds basically to get
rid of them.

So now I am confused...

The article at the link states...

"The DNR said an employee misidentified the fish as a native bowfin."

....is the "native bowfin" NOT a snakehead? I was under the impression most
people used the two names for the same fish.. not true? Or are they making a
point that they have a native bowfin in Wisconsin and this snakehead version of
a bowfin, is not one of them?

As far as MA... we most certainly do have a bowfin population:

===
This interesting fish was introduced into the Connecticut River drainage of
Massachusetts in the 1980's when specimens began to appear in Lower Mill Pond
and Nashawannuck Pond in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Presumably some
individuals migrated down the Mahan River into the Oxbow of the Connecticut
River. Individuals were occasionally reported from the Oxbow of the Connecticut
River in the 1980's. In July, 1987, an adult specimen was caught in the
Connecticut River off the southern end of Second Island in Sunderland,
Massachusetts. To date this is the northern most record of Amia in the
Connecticut River of Massachusetts.
===

I was one of the individuals that reported to the fisheries department, my
first catch of bowfin in Lower Mill Pond back around 1988-89. I've caught three
and had a cousin catch one.

note: I've fished all this water since I was a kid but only caught bowfin from
Lower Mill but have heard of bf from the other waters mentioned. Somewhere I
have a picture of the fish my cousin caught, as I used to carry a camera..
catch and release and all, ya know? Interestingly... I called the game warden
at home, very apologetic of course and told him I had a bowfin, asking what
should I do with it? He was quite adament (sp?) that I do NOT release it and
should not release any others I catch. I stated I had a problem with that idea
as a waste.. I don't kill anythin' unless I am gonna eat it... but I did
compromise and gave it to a friend that did taxidermy... so it's now perserved
as a "freak" of the waters of Western Massachusetts for others to see and
enjoy. The others we did release unharmed. (shrugg)

I can say though... I haven't caught one in quite some time nor heard of one
being caught. Maybe... they haven't survived.

(chuckle: same pond... a kid had a fish and asked "mister, what kinda fish is
this"... he was holding up a line and attached by a hook was.. an oscar.
hahaha)


-= Francis Yarra =-
fyarraATjunoDOTcom
http://members.aol.com/fyarra001/ads - My drywall website
http://members.aol.com/fyarra001 - My C64 website
http://members.aol.com/prsnl99 - My personal website