Invasive fish with dagger-like teeth found in Long Island pond

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]Don't tell me there's not northern snakehead in Lily Pond. These fish are so awesome to fight. Everything about them is great. It's a shame that they've gotten the reputation they have.

[00:00:08]>> The species that spawned her films has New York officials >> We're turning the juice on.

[00:00:13]>> knee-deep in the pond trying to catch and kill them.

[00:00:16]>> We really want to be on top of it and get rid of them quickly because we have Lake Ronkonkoma bass, walleye. So get having the snakehead move in there would not be a good situation.

[00:00:25]>> Aggressive and predatory, native to Asia and federally classified as invasive.

[00:00:31]They can breathe air and survive out of the water for days.

[00:00:35]>> These fish can walk on land. They can cross the road.

[00:00:39]>> And so the DEC is electrofishing to locate and destroy any snakeheads in Lily Pond right next to the lake. Their python-like markings and dagger-like teeth have made them a bucket-list catch for some fishermen.

[00:00:52]>> It's just like a bada bing bada boom thing. It's just awesome.

[00:00:55]>> But for the DEC, they're a threat to Long Island's largest lake.

[00:00:59]>> I do see um, you know, the point of the fisherman having very exciting catch, but um, it's not something we're going to take lightly.

[00:01:05]>> I don't want this thing affecting Lake Ronkonkoma. It's getting a little cleaner, so we don't need invasive species.

[00:01:11]>> State officials say it's likely someone dumped them from an aquarium or from a fish market. Either way, they say it's crucial to stop their spread.