Northern snakehead is an invasive freshwater fish that originates from asia but was illegally introduced into the chesapeake BAY watershed and first discovered in 2002

The State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) received a $212,521 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service (DOI FWS) Region 5 under the Fish and Aquatic Conservation - Aquatic Invasive Species program (CFDA 15.608) awarded October 1, 2025, with completion targeted for September 30, 2028. The agreement supports MDNR's ongoing efforts to detect, monitor, and control Northern snakehead populations in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, an invasive Asian freshwater fish species first discovered in the region in 2002. Specific deliverables include implementing environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring systems for early detection of Northern snakeheads upstream of dams, conducting natural movement monitoring in dam tailwaters, and increasing both angler-led and agency-led harvest operations to prevent upstream migration of the species.

The project addresses the complex role of dams as instream barriers in limiting snakehead spread while simultaneously informing MDNR's decision-making regarding dam management as biological impediments. By integrating eDNA surveillance technology with enhanced harvest initiatives, MDNR will develop a comprehensive approach to invasive species management that supports broader efforts to protect native aquatic resources and maintain ecosystem integrity throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Since then, the maryland department of natural resources (MDNR) has worked cooperatively with other states and federal agencies to limit its spread, reduce its biomass and impacts, and learn its biological traits that underpin its invasiveness. Dams are instream barriers that appear to both attract and prevent spread of the species in chesapeake BAY watershed the probability of preventing upstream spread, however, depends on the characteristics of the dams that greatly differ by age and engineering. The MDNR proposes new work that aids in efforts to both detect and to limit the spread of northern snakeheads upstream of dams, as well as to inform its decision-making process on where and when to consider a DAM as a beneficial impediment or an unnecessary one. The specific objectives of this proposal are to incorporate environmental DNA (EDNA) monitoring into early detection for northern snakeheads upstream of dams while monitoring natural movements in tailwaters of dams and increasing both angler-led harvest and agency-led harvest of snakeheads in tailwaters to help prevent their upstream migration.