The "The Return Of The Shad Fish In The Susquehanna River" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading once again about the snakehead fish that have been found in the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania.  Seems like the invasive snakehead fish has found its way from the Atlantic Ocean into the Susquehanna River and then further upstream.  The snakehead are long, slender fish with mouths full of sharp teeth.  They are native to Asia, but the fish have been discovered in the wild in 2002 in Maryland, believed to have been released "by aquarium hobbyists or those hoping to establish a local food resource.  Since then, the fish have established a wild population, which has spread, including to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  The invasive, menacing looking snakeheads are a threat to ecosystems because they are apex predators that feed voraciously, reducing food sources that have long served native fish.  Along the Susquehanna River are a couple of dams that are now being used to try and trap the snakehead fish in their lifts in order to keep them from heading further upstream.  The lifts were created years ago to accommodate declining populations of American shad, which are able to get through the dams and head upstream in order to spawn.  Worked, but the snakeheads also found their way upstream.  

The invasive Snakehead fish

So, the Constellation Energy group, which operates the downstream Conowingo Dam, will trap and transport the fish to a "Stocking point" in the Susquehanna above the Safe Harbor Dam.  A few years ago, one of the most anticipated and important times of the year along the river, was when millions of migratory American shad flooded in from the Atlantic Ocean into the Susquehanna River, surging upstream to reproduce in such mass that they pushed the water into waves.  "For native Americans and, later, Pennsylvania colonists, shad, or 'poor' man's salmon as they are known, delivered a badly needed source of protein and burst of flavor after a long lean winter.  Their roe was considered a delicacy.  Perhaps the snakeheads will never be eliminated, but maybe they can be controlled to the point that the shad will once again be the main fish of the Susquehanna River.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.