Panic after 'Franken-fish' that is deadlier than a piranha is caught in Britain

With its razor- sharp teeth, the fish known as the giant snakehead terrorises the warm waters of south-east Asia.

Which is why an angler was particularly startled to hook a 2ft specimen from a river in Lincolnshire.

Andrew Alder caught the snakehead using a sprat for bait while fishing for pike in the River Witham near North Hykeham.

He took photographs of his catch and handed them over to experts who confirmed it was the deadly predator.

So devastating is the damage a giant snakehead can wreak on other fish, frogs and their natural habitat that it is on a list of species which cannot be imported into the UK.

Mr Alder, from Lincoln, said his catch had a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and looked absolutely terrifying.

It is thought that the fish was smuggled in for a private aquarium and then illegally released into the wild when it became too much of a nuisance.

The presence of even one of the species in British waters is a nightmare for environmentalists and conservationists.

Giant snakeheads caused chaos to indigenous fish and the environment when they were found living in rivers and lakes in the U.S. in 2002.

Snipers with high-powered rifles even set up watch to shoot the fish as they crawled ashore and entire lakes were poisoned to get rid of them.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: "The giant snakehead is not native to the UK and the coolness of our waters mean they are unlikely to survive for any length of time in this country.

"However, they could still pose a danger to habitat and other fish and we would like to remind people that the dumping of fish in waters is illegal in this country and should not be carried out under any circumstances.

"Not only that, but dumping of non-native fish can cause severe damage to indigenous species and their natural environment."

Ben Weir, of the Anglers Mail, said: "In all my time of working within fishing I have never heard so many concerned voices."

Luckily Mr Alder realised the potential damage the snakehead could cause and did not throw it back. It later died and he disposed of it.

"Frankenfish:" The Facts

• All 28 species of snakehead can tolerate low oxygen conditions in water because they are air breathers from an early age. When prevented from surface access, adult snakeheads will die due to lack of oxygen.
• Snakeheads usually breed in the summer, but some species are known to breed throughout the year.
• The female northern snakehead is capable of spawning five times a year. Northern snakeheads can live under the ice of northern climates. Northern snakeheads are the most available species of live snakeheads in the fish markets of New York and Boston.
• When snakeheads mate, they are usually monogamous for an entire breeding season, and perhaps throughout their lifetimes.
• Parent snakeheads guard their young vigorously. One species (C. micropeltes) reportedly attacked, and in some instances killed, humans who approached the mass of young.
  
  

Two species of snakehead are mouth brooders. The male holds the fertilized eggs, and later the fry, in his mouth.

• Scientists do not know how many species of snakehead are capable of overland migration, but several are known to do so. Migration is probably an instinctual behavior for species which make their homes in areas subject to seasonal wet/dry conditions. These areas include much of southeastern Asia where the majority of snakehead species are found.
• Some snakeheads bury themselves in mud during times of drought. During droughts in Thailand, people looking for food will slice through mud until they locate a fish.
• The giant snakehead Channamicropeltes, the most predacious of the species, and one which is known to attack humans, has been collected in waters in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where the climate is not conducive to establishing reproducing populations. If it were to be released into subtropical waters in Florida or Hawaii, giant snakehead might be able to reproduce successfully.
• Based on water temperature alone, all US fresh or brackish waters would allow some member of the snakehead family to establish itself.
• Because snakeheads are so predatory, they pose a high risk to endangered species. Of all endangered species in US aquatic habitats, 16 amphibians, 115 fishes, and five of the 21 federally protected crustaceans would most likely be affected by snakehead introductions.