Fisheries management biologists with the Missouri Department of Conservation have confirmed a northern snakehead was captured by an angler on May 19 while seining for bait at the Duck Creek Conservation Area in southeast Missouri.

This is the second northern snakehead ever spotted in the state and the first since 2019.

MDC staff said the northern snakehead is an aggressive, invasive species native to Asia. The species is known as a predator that will prey on native species and will compete for resources.