Snakehead Hype
The snakehead fish should not be completely prohibited. I believe it would be better to restrict it than completely banned. The media is using this small story and blowing it way out of proportion. They are taking advantage of the fact that most of the United States knows very little or nothing about fish, let alone snakeheads. With the media hyping up this story that forces the government take have to take action. So with the war on terrorism and the problems on Wall Street, the United States decides to declare war on the snakehead. I agree that the snakehead fish is a danger to our ecosystem, and if there are too many in the wild, they could extinguish lots of our native species because they have no natural predators here. "If so, say the alarmists, we've got cause to worry. The snakehead can exceed 3 ft. in length and will eat pretty much anything that can fit into its jaws. What's more, the Patuxent River is only 75 yds away, and the fish--with an air sac in its digestive system that allows it to absorb oxygen, and the ability to flop its way across small stretches of muddy land--could soon wriggle into the nation's waterways." It is true that the snakehead fish can live on land for a short while,
Still, federal officials admit as the invaders become established, they cannot always afford to stop them. but it prefers not to. "Snakeheads are nothing more than common swamp fish. In Southeast Asia, where they originate, they live in irrigation ditches and rice paddies, thriving there until the dry season, when their pools shrink and they squirm along to the next pocket of water. Such clumsy locomotion does not lend itself to wanderlust, and snakeheads in a good pond are likely to stay there forever. "Snakeheads are extremely lazy and sedentary," says Hawaii biologist Ron Weidenbach. Nor do they much care for air--at least not the way they're said to. Reports had it that they can live on land for up to three days, but the best they usually seem to manage is several hours under wet burlap in open markets where they're sold for their flesh. On dry land under a sunny sky, they fricassee fast," - says Jeffery Kluge of CNN. The snakehead fish only relocates when it has to, like when its life is in danger in its current home, otherwise it has no reason to leave its current habitat. "There are people who question whether we should even be concerned about trying to prevent or control them and just embrace them,"
Some common words found in the essay are:
Kluger CNN, Kluge CNN, Street America, Patuxent River, Street United, Snakehead Hype, Southeast Asia, Weidenbach Nor, Wildlife Service, snakehead fish, Joe Starinchak, invasive species, fish danger, jeffery kluger, wall street, kluger cnn, jeffery kluger cnn, live land, cnn snakehead,
Approximate Word count = 825
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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