Nature's Invaders On Display

Snakeheads, Others At Calvert Museum

"Frankenfish" are coming to Calvert County.

Snakeheads, the voracious, sharp-toothed predators found in the Potomac River, will get top billing in their first public exhibition at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons.

"Eco-Invaders," opening Sept. 24 and offering a children's day Oct. 17, will feature several types of plants and animals, including snakeheads, that threaten native species and habitats, particularly in the Chesapeake Bay area.

The exhibit aims to educate the public about the consequences of releasing pets or dumping live bait into nonnative environments, said Sherrod Sturrock, deputy director of the museum.

"We want to make everyone aware so they can contribute to the solution and not the problem," she said.

The problem of invasive species was brought to the Washington region's attention after Maryland officials found snakeheads in a Crofton lake in 2002. Since then, hundreds of the air-breathing freshwater fish, which are native to Asia and Africa, have been pulled out of the Potomac and its tributaries.

In the largest discovery in the area, more than 160 were found last month in Charles County near Mattawoman Creek, a tributary of the Potomac. The snakehead has not been found in the Patuxent River.

Because it can grow quickly, reproduce often and devour the food of native game fish, the snakehead has become the poster child of invasive species, said Jonathan McKnight, associate wildlife director for Maryland's Department of Natural Resources.

"It was played in the media as a science fiction monster. It was going to come to your house, drink your beer and suck your children away," he said.

DNR officials say they hope to eradicate the snakefish, which can grow to 40 inches long, weigh 15 pounds and survive out of water for up to four days. They are requiring that all caught snakefish be killed.

According to the Calvert museum, the exhibit marks the first time live snakeheads have been shown in such a setting.

"Ecosystems, over time, have developed . . . a natural checks and balances system," said Ken Kaumeyer, a curator at the marine museum. Snakeheads and the other species in the exhibit "eliminate the diversity" that creates a thriving habitat.