Flushing Meadow Corona Park Lakes Report
Report Abstract
A population of northern snakeheads, Channa argus, was discovered in two connected lakes (Meadow and Willow) in Queens, New York in 2005. That population has been monitored by electrofishing over several years. During this time, catch per unit effort (CPUE) of snakeheads has remained relatively constant, and the CPUE of most other fish species has remained the same or increased. The northern snakehead length-weight relationship is identical to that reported from the Potomac River Basin northern snakehead population. Compared with the Potomac River Basin, Queens fish are longer per age class as determined from fish scales. Despite being in suitable habitat, the Queens northern snakehead population has not increased as has been observed in other cases. Potential causal factors in this lack of or delay in population increase include water quality and presence of other fish species, although the exact reasons for slow population growth are unknown.
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