DNR Withdraws Proposed Snakehead Regulations
New and modified regulations will be submitted in October

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ANNAPOLIS -- The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will withdraw and re-propose the snakehead regulation scheduled to be effective Sept. 13.

Snakehead regulations were proposed to prohibit the possession of all species of live snakehead fish (family: Channidae) in the State. The Department received many comments during the public involvement and review process and will consider all of the comments in the future construction of the regulations for public review. The new regulation should be available for public review in October 2004 and submitted later this year as an emergency regulation.

Regulations to restrict possession of snakeheads in Maryland will complement the Federal Lacey Act, which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service adopted to declare snakehead fish injurious to the wildlife and wildlife resources of the United States in October 2002. This action prohibited the importation or interstate transport of live snakehead fish without a permit. To date, at least 20 states have possession restrictions on snakehead fish.

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