If You See This Fish in TN or KY Waters, Kill It Immediately

No, we're not dealing with piranha. Good grief. But yes, if you ever see one and you're at a safe distance (that means "not in the water"), kill it, too. Of course, the United States doesn't have a piranha issue. One was found in a golf course lake in California in 1998, but that's been about it.

Snakehead Fish

Not all fish that need to be eradicated from our waters are that dangerous, but that can also be relative, too. Invasive species wreak havoc on our ecosystems and need to be destroyed when possible. Missouri conservationists are on red alert about invasive snakehead fish and are urging anybody who catches one to kill it as soon as possible. While Missouri isn't a big concern for us, we are talking about something that doesn't belong where it's found, meaning some irresponsible soul can drop one into a lake in Kentucky or Tennessee, and that wouldn't be a good thing, especially considering that the biggest issue with snakeheads is that they have a voracious appetite. Anything is on the menu.

Snakehead Fish in Tennessee

According to Tennessee Aquarium, it was likely an aquarium enthusiast who brought the snakehead into our lives here in the states.

Are There Snakehead Fish in Kentucky?

And Tennessee Aquarium SHOULD be very interested in this development since Tennessee has become the eighth state where snakehead has been discovered. As for Kentucky, I searched to see if a snakehead had ever been discovered here, and I couldn't find much more than a really old Kentucky Hunting chat thread from the early 2000s. Kentucky seems to be in the clear, but, again, if that stops being the case, don't hesitate to eradicate it.