November 14, 2012 — An undercover sting on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border caught a Toronto man dealing an invasive species of voracious “Frankenfish.”
Muk Leung Ip, 50, was sentenced last week to 60 days in jail for selling the fish, a Southeast Asian delicacy, destined for New York and Manitoba.
He has also been fined $90,530 by Canadian and American wildlife enforcement agencies.
Ip sold 228 snakehead fish, illegal to possess or sell in Ontario and New York, to an undercover U.S. wildlife agent between June 2010 and Jan. 2012 from his Markham store, Lucky Aquarium.
The snakehead, which can be up to one metre long, has become a growing problem in the U.S.
Nicknamed “Frankenfish” by authorities because it is notoriously hard to kill, it has invaded Florida and Maryland, where officials recommend decapitating it to ensure death.
One was spotted swimming in a pond at a British Columbia park in May — it’s sold in Vancouver as food — but the species has yet to be seen in Ontario waterways.
Becky Cudmore, a Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientist, said the snakehead’s jagged teeth are capable of tearing off fingers or toes.
Cudmore said it poses a significant risk to ecosystems because it’s a fierce predator that will hunt other fish to extinction.
“They just attack,” she said, noting they breed and grow so quickly, they escape being prey themselves.
Once established, the snakehead, a native of China, Korea, and Russia, is nearly impossible to eradicate, added Cudmore.
The undercover U.S. agent arrived in Markham from Pennsylvania last December to purchase some the snakehead fish, which can survive four days out of water, and transport them to New York.
Neil Mendelsohn, assistant special agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said authorities from Environment Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources worked with his agent and were with him as backup.
Read the full story at the Toronto Star