Invasive snakehead fish rebranded as Chesapeake Channa to sound more appetizing
By Caroline Foreback
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BALTIMORE, Maryland (WJZ) — The snakehead fish is an invasive species that came into Maryland in the early 2000s.
They’ve been a big problem for our aquatic ecosystem because they eat everything, but nothing eats them, except for people.
That’s why lawmakers are rebranding the snakehead fish to encourage more people to eat them and hopefully control the population.
No fish has a worse reputation than the snakehead fish but the state of Maryland is trying to change that by changing its name.
Chesapeake Channa is the new official name for the snakehead fish.
LOCAL NEWS Invasive snakehead fish rebranded as Chesapeake Channa to sound more appetizing baltimore By Caroline Foreback
Updated on: June 18, 2024 / 7:07 PM EDT / CBS Baltimore
BALTIMORE — The snakehead fish is an invasive species that came into Maryland in the early 2000s.
They’ve been a big problem for our aquatic ecosystem because they eat everything, but nothing eats them, except for people.
That’s why lawmakers are rebranding the snakehead fish to encourage more people to eat them and hopefully control the population.
No fish has a worse reputation than the snakehead fish but the state of Maryland is trying to change that by changing its name.
Chesapeake Channa is the new official name for the snakehead fish.
The video player is currently playing an ad. The invasive species, known for its ability to survive on land, has been disrupting the bay’s ecosystem – eating rockfish, oysters and crabs – since it was introduced in Anne Arundel County about 20 years ago.
“There’s no natural real predator for them in the bay. We’re the predators so we have to eat our way out of this problem as we like to say,” said Matthew Scales, Seafood Marketing Director for the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
To encourage more people to eat snakehead fish, Maryland lawmakers thought the scientific name, Chesapeake Channa, sounded more appetizing.
“The more that folks are eating it and more interested in trying the Chesapeake Channa the more we’re going to be able to pull out of the bay and the tributaries,” said Stephanie Pazzaglia, the Outreach and Development Manager for the seafood processor and distributor J.J. McDonnell.
Pazzaglia said they started processing and distributing Channa about six years ago and are currently doing about 1,000 pounds a week.
Chesapeake Channa is harvested by bow fishing, and seafood buyer Mitchell Bode said the market for Channa has a lot of potential.
“It is benefiting our economy by providing jobs – new jobs that is – but also helping our ecosystem,” said Bode.
You can get Chesapeake Channa for $16.99/pound at Wegmans.
At the Wegmans in Columbia, seafood manager Dave Burks is happy to answer customers’ questions about Chesapeake Channa. He said it’s comparable to rockfish or mahi mahi and makes an excellent fish taco.
“Get it out on the grill and grill it up,” said Burks. “You can pan-sear it, you can bake it, you can broil it, you can blacken it.”
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