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How many of you are carrying snakehead ‘posse’ badges
out there? First it was a pond in
Crofton, Maryland that was receiving all kinds of publicity for its unwanted
Northern Snakeheads. Then it was a
small lake in a Montgomery County park, then the lower Potomac River in and
around Fort Washington, MD, and most recently the Occoquan. It certainly appears that the realistic view will
prevail…that this voracious feeder is loose in the Potomac, and we will have
to learn to deal with it. Whether
in MD or VA, if anyone catches a northern snakehead, please let the appropriate
State DNR know about it, and do not put it back in the water…that is an
effective way as any to act as a member of the Snakehead Posse. Can it get any worse?
I was wondering this as I was surfing the Web and reading miscellaneous
articles on watershed problems. I
realized that the Web does not hold all the answers to our problems when as
associate at work walked up and asked if I had heard of the Golden Algae that is
killing fish in Texas. He handed me
the Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine for May and let me read.
Unexplained fish kills in a variety of Texas lakes, rivers, and
hatcheries have been occurring since the middle-1980s…recently these dilemmas
have been traced to golden alga, which is a nearly invisible floating plant that
uses small levels of salinity and ammonia to live.
This alga poses no threats to humans, livestock, or wildlife (similar to
recent statements made about snakeheads), but it destroys the gills of
gill-breathing creatures like fish, mussels, and clams…the key fish at risk in
Texas so far have been largemouth bass, striped bass, shad, and trout. One of the ironies involved with this complex organism is
that the toxin it excretes to destroy gill cells is triggered by the lack of
phosphorus in the water. As you
know, one of the issues we promote is decreasing the flow of fertilizers into
our watersheds…hopefully this effort will not promote the migration of golden
alga to the Potomac area. At the
other end of the spectrum, fresh water is one of the easiest ways there is to
kill the golden alga…with the exception of what we humans, livestock and other
animals, and utilities add to our upper rivers, we have hope that the golden
alga will stay away from the nontidal waterways we use on a routine basis.
What is being done about this additional menace?
Texas has the lead in the U.S., and has fortunately attracted some
additional financial aid from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Sport Fish
Restoration Grants. What is the connection between the snakehead and golden
algae? As we know, the Potomac and
other rivers we enjoy proffer recreation and tourist attractions that bring in
funds that support communities and local economies. The effect of the northern snakehead in the Potomac has not
yet been realized, but it is possible that this National River may become less
attractive with the presence of this marine predator. As far as the alga in Texas, one community that depends on
tourists and fishing to support its economy predicted its financial loss at
$16-$18 million over 4 years after one golden alga-caused fish kill in 2001.
I’m not sure what that could project to for the MD/DC/VA area. After reading these stories we need to hear some good news
about our environment and watersheds. In
their May/June Focus magazine, the World Wildlife Federation (WWF)
announced the commitment of five U.S. energy companies to answer WWF’s
challenge to support a mandatory cap on heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions.
The companies are Austin Energy (TX), Burlington Electric (VT), FPL Group
(FL), Sacramento Municipal Utility District (CA), and Waverly Light and Power
(IA). Since the use of fossil fuels
generates about 37% of all man-made carbon dioxide emissions, this commitment
represents a substantial initiative to reduce this harmful emission, and
demonstrates a level of commitment that will substantially help decrease global
warming and possibly increase propagation of colder water fish, like our
friendly Smallmouth. Good luck out on the water!
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