Overview
- In late May an angler reported and caught northern snakeheads in Lily Pond adjacent to Lake Ronkonkoma, which the New York DEC confirmed as the first known occurrence on Long Island.
- DEC crews are actively electro-fishing the pond to locate, kill, and remove any remaining snakeheads as part of an urgent containment effort.
- The northern snakehead breathes air, can survive out of water for days, and can move short distances over land, traits that raise the risk it could move into Lake Ronkonkoma and harm bass, perch, and other native fish.
- New York law requires anyone who catches a northern snakehead to kill it and report the find to the DEC, though some recreational anglers prize the species for its strong fight.
- Officials are investigating likely human-linked introduction routes such as aquarium dumping or market releases and say they will monitor the pond closely to try to prevent establishment and wider ecological and recreational impacts.