How to identify, kill and eat Louisiana's newest invader: the northern snakehead fish

Now that the northern snakehead fish has finally been confirmed in Louisiana, what should you do if you see it?

The snakehead, an Asian import that appeared in the U.S. more than 20 years ago, is a big eater and fast breeder that often gobbles up or crowds out local freshwater fish and other wildlife. 

Here’s our handy guide for how to identify the snakehead. We also include advice on how to kill and eat the fish if you find it dangling from your fishing line.

What does a northern snakehead look like?

The snakehead gets its name from its serpentine appearance. It has a scaly head with eyes set near the top rather than the sides. It has mottled skin that looks a lot like a boa constrictor or python. The fish's long body typically reaches three feet in length, but well-fed snakeheads have been known to reach five feet.

Another tell-tale characteristic of the snakehead is its ability to breathe air. You might see it take a gulp of air at the water’s surface, or even spot it wandering river or pond banks, doing a twitchy slither as it hunts or looks for another waterway.

How do you tell it apart from other fish?

Louisiana has a local species, the bowfin, that many people confuse with the snakehead. The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has already received dozens of reports of snakeheads that turned out to be bowfins.

Both fish are lanky with a long dorsal fin, and both can thrive in shallow, stagnant water. But the bowfin, also known as the choupique, has a much shorter anal fin, a black spot at the base of its tail, and shorter jaw that doesn’t protrude like the snakehead’s jaw.

How do you kill it?

If you catch a snakehead, wildlife experts urge you to not toss it back into the water. Instead, you should kill it as soon as possible.

The state of Maryland, which has been fighting the snakehead invasion for more than 20 years, has some fairly brutal instructions for what to do if you have a snakehead on your hands: "Decapitation, evisceration, cutting out its gut or pulling out its gill arches.”

Maryland also publishes a detailed guide on how to dispatch a snakehead. It includes visual aids showing the precise spot to stab a screwdriver into a snakehead's brain.

Tossing a snakehead in the brush doesn’t help. As air-breathers, they can just slither back to water at their leisure.

If you think a snakehead might make a nice pet, think again: It’s illegal to possess a live snakehead. And, as some snakehead owners can attest, the fish have a pretty nasty disposition and a voracious appetite.

Wildlife and Fisheries asks that anyone who catches a suspected snakehead to take a photo of the fish, kill it, double bag it and freeze it. Then call the Wildlife and Fisheries aquatic invasive species hotline at (225) 765-3977 or send an email to aquaticInvasives@la.gov.

Can I eat it?

Sure can. Snakehead has a light, flaky meat that’s a bit more firm than tilapia. Some people say its better than catfish or on-par with cod and flounder.

There’s a bounty of snakehead recipes. You can bread it and fry it, eat it raw as a ceviche, or turn the fish into cakes and nuggets.