Officials are investigating after a voracious snakehead fish, considered an invasive species in North America, was spotted Sunday afternoon at Central Park lagoon in Burnaby.
The snakehead, occasionally dubbed "fishzilla", can grow up to three feet long and is considered extremely predatory – it can even survive out of water for days and take out small animals with its sharp teeth.
Rod Gonzales shot video of the rare fish, a native to Africa and Asia, while he was walking through the park over the weekend, but it wasn't until he reviewed his footage that he realized what he'd seen.
"It looks look a catfish. At first, that's what I thought it was," Gonzales said.
Often viewed as a delicacy in Asian countries, the snakehead's ability to take over an entire ecosystem has made it a feared pest in Canada and the U.S.
Experts say if the fish are swimming around in Metro Vancouver's waters, it could be a big problem.
"It could eat frogs, it could eat birds, it could eat small ducklings, it could eat anything it could get into its mouth," said Dr. Dennis Thoney, director of animal operations at the Vancouver Aquarium.
It's a potentially costly problem jurisdictions south of the border have already dealt with; a lake in Maryland had to be drained and re-stocked because of a snakehead infestation in 2004. Two years earlier, another pond had to be poisoned to eradicate the fish.
In some states, people even organize annual snakehead tournaments to keep its numbers down.
Officials are currently trying to figure out how one ended up in the Burnaby lagoon. Thoney says there are several possibilities.
"Some of the related species, you need permits for to actually import into Canada," he explained. "This particular one, probably because it's a food fish, is able to be brought in."
For now, the public is advised to contact authorities immediately if they spot a snakehead, so experts can keep track of sightings.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Nafeesa Karim
