More Invasive Snakehead Fish Spotted in Southeastern Missouri

We're still early in 2025, but already there are multiple reports now of the dangerous invasive snakehead fish in Missouri with more reportedly spotted in the southeastern part of the state.

What is the invasive snakehead fish and why is it a problem for Missouri?

As the Missouri Department of Conservation says, the northern snakehead is native to Asia, but has somehow become a destructive factor in many Missouri waterways. The look like native bowfin, but destroy the habitat and food sources of fish native to Missouri.

Earlier this week, Corporal Clayton Lewis of the Missouri Department of Conservation shared this Facebook reel indicating that more invasive snakehead have been spotted in southeastern Missouri.

As he says, if you see a northern snakehead, you need to "dispatch it" which means end its life. The best way is to cut the head off the fish, but you shouldn't throw it back in the water or even leave it on the banks of a waterway since they can survive on land for extended periods of time. If it's allowed to live, northern snakehead can reproduce rapidly which makes them an even bigger problem.

This isn't the first warning from the state of Missouri about the invasive snakehead. They alerted everyone to the fish just one month ago. That's why if you're a fisherman, you need to be on the lookout for this problematic invasive fish. The Missouri ecosystem depends on it.