Singaporeans say snakehead fish not vicious, but delicious

SINGAPORE - Fishbreeder Koh Boon Haw can name two good things about the snakehead fish he feels is unfairly hated by Americans: green apples and ginger.

Demonized and subjected to an eradication campaign in the United States since it infested a pond there, the fanged freshwater fish is a delicacy here in this predominantly ethnic Chinese Southeast Asian city state.

Singapore's four million inhabitants have gleefully followed news of the Maryland pond teeming with the species, which American authorities fear could spread from the pond, devouring indigenous species and overrunning local ecosystems.

On Tuesday, a proposed U.S.-wide ban on the many species of the snakehead fish was announced and a top official, Gale Norton, declared "these fish are like something from a bad horror movie."

Unlike the vicious, carnivorous, alien predator Americans know, the snakehead is seen here as an important part of a savory lunch.

"We've been eating snakeheads for centuries. They're tasty and the flesh is so tender" says Koh, general manager of Khaiseng Trading and Fish Farm, while standing over a tank of the fish.

Put snakehead fish in soup, grill them, or fry them with rice noodles, Koh says, but be sure to use lots of ginger to cut the fishy taste. "And if you cook them with green apples, it's also very good for the complexion."

Officials in Maryland have spearheaded a scientific study into the best way to eradicate the fish, which were dropped into the pond by humans years ago. Others fear the fish could spread throughout the northeastern region of the United States.

Koh's advice to Americans: "The best way to get rid of them is to just eat them."

Singapore's mass media — and the country's citizens — have been following the snakehead fish furore for days. One half-page article in the daily Straits Times carried a headline which trumpeted "Monster Fish in the U.S., Tasty Delicacy in Singapore."

Digging into a bowl of snakehead and noodle soup at Singapore's Hong Kong Street Seafood Place, 46-year-old realtor Gerald Goh says "from young, we know snakeheads have good nutritional value and even a healing effect," he says.

Singapore imports about 1,200 tons of snakehead fish a year, according to the Agrifood and Veterinary Authority, primarily from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia. And there are three local fish farms raising the snakehead fish, including Koh's.

Koh sells his fish for about seven Singapore dollars (dlrs 4) per kilogram, and says that the sudden U.S.-driven snakehead fascination in Singapore has brought him an influx of new customers.

Koh smiles at reports from the United States that the voracious fish can survive for days on land and even move rapidly from pond to pond across land.

Dipping a hand into an open-topped tank, Koh's assistant draws out a snakehead specimen and drops it to the floor for a visitor.

"Sure, they can wriggle around, but it's not like they can walk," Koh says as the fish whipsaws its body across the cement. "They can maybe live out of the water for a few hours," he says.

"They're vigorous, yes, but not vicious," he says, while shooing the small son of a customer away from the fish.

Like many ingredients in Chinese cuisine, the snakehead fish is prized for its specific health benefits.

Many Singaporeans believe the snakehead, when cooked with green apples, softens the skin.

Mixed with certain herbs, the fish can help the hasten the body's recuperation after a wound, many say.

Other Chinese seafood ingredients are advertised to make a consumer "strong" — a polite term for an aphrodisiac.

"Yes, eating the snakehead will make you healthy and strong," he says with a smile.

Hawaii snakehead lacks
ferocity of mainland kin
A kinder, gentler fish, it poses
no local threat to the environment

By Keiko Kiele Akana-Gooch
kakana-gooch@starbulletin.com
It has been called "voracious," "injurious" and "like something from a bad horror movie" by the U.S. Department of the Interior. It has also been on Oahu for nearly 200 years.
But the predatory snakehead fish isn't as scary as its cousins on the mainland. The Hawaii State Division of Aquatic Resources says the fish is not a pest or a problem in the islands.
In Maryland, the freshwater fish is believed to threaten fisheries, native fish and animals, and the state's natural landscape, causing U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton to propose a ban on live importation and interstate transportation of all 28 species of snakehead, including the version found here -- Channa striata.
Part of the difference may be the species -- Hawaii's Chevron snakehead, also commonly known as pongee and striped snakehead, is not the same species as Maryland's northern snakehead, or Channa argus, which could mean a slight difference in characteristics.
Fishery biologist and aquaculture farm owner Ron Weidenbach said pongee eat mainly Louisiana red crayfish, mosquito fish and insect larvae; not native fish and animals. Pongee prefer the calm waters of reservoirs, namely Lake Wilson in Wahiawa, whereas native oopu (goby) and opae (shrimp) occur in streams and rivers where water is in constant, swift flow.
However, on the mainland, native species may share the same habitat as the snakehead, possibly causing ecological damage.
Weidenbach said that while the northern snakehead may be able to tolerate New England winter conditions, most of the other snakehead species, including pongee, are true tropical fish and would not survive the cold winter.
He also reminds us that snakeheads aren't the only predatory fish. Bass, oscars and bluegills are among the many other nonnative species of fish eaters present in Hawaii waters.
But freshwater biologist and marine life author Mike Yamamoto said that while the northern and Chevron snakeheads don't belong to the same species, they probably have more similarities than differences, as in appearance and behavior.
It's eel-like body, snake-like face and fully racked mouth of teeth make it a fearsome creature. With teeth jutting backward to secure its prey, "it can create a pretty nasty bite," said state Division of Aquatic Resources administrator Bill Devick. But that's only if people put their hands in its mouth.
Yamamoto said pongee "looks pretty gruesome, but it's pretty highly esteemed" among local fishermen, who help to keep the fish population in check.
With a name like "snakehead," Weidenbach said the fish is instantly given a bad rep.
But he and Devick said the snakehead doesn't live up to many of the sensational characteristics people have given it, including the ability to walk or slither across land and eat larger animals.
Weidenbach said that because the fish is an air-breather, it can follow small trickles of water and mud beyond the main waterway, making it appear to slither across the ground. But if it gets stuck on dry land for several hours, it will die. In Hawaii, the pongee can survive in shade for several hours to a day before perishing. "Unfortunately, you mix a little science with some sensational stuff and it scares people," Weidenbach said.
Snakeheads cannot eat birds, fish and mammals larger than they are, Devick said. Instead, Devick considers the fish -- a native to southeast Asia -- interesting and recounted its deep association with Chinese culture. The Chinese would keep snakeheads in a tank at home to serve as devil-eaters, hence their nickname "devil fish." If the fish was found belly-up dead, it was said to have eaten an evil spirit lurking in the house. If the fish was still alive, the house was free of evil spirits.
Pongee's history in Hawaii also has a Chinese connection as its introduction and establishment in Oahu stems from Chinese immigrants in the 1800s, who raised the fish in their rice patties and taro fields.
With snakehead hysteria on the mainland coupled with the proposed ban, Weidenbach, whose North Shore fishery includes a snakehead population, may receive the brunt of a wake of turmoil. Weidenbach and his wife, Lita, have been studying and raising pongee for the past nine years as a secondary product, following their golden tilapia. The Weidenbachs are supplying a Chinatown store fish tank with live pongee, which are killed and cleaned on the spot for customers paying $12.95 a pound. Its scarcity, flavor and slow growing process make it a large investment requiring a high price tag.
Weidenbach has already received several calls from news agencies and his grant awarder, who he said is still supportive of his work with snakeheads. "The concern I have is this knee-jerk reaction," said Weidenbach, who is against a ban on the entire family of snakeheads and worries a block of snakehead transportation across state lines would stiffen his business potential, especially to a welcoming Chinese market in New York.
Devick agrees that the snakehead anxiety on the mainland has gone overboard. "To be quite blunt, this has reached silly proportion."
Hawaii is ahead of the game with restrictions on snakehead importation and facilitation. As a Part B restricted list fish under the state Department of Agriculture, the snakehead cannot be imported alive by the general public. The Board of Agriculture approves importation for aquaculture only after the farm passes an inspection ensuring the fish cannot escape. The state currently does not regulate snakehead exportation -- a key fact to Weidenbach's snakehead business.
But Weidenbach said he has extra measures in place should an irresponsible person handle his pongee. Through years of research, Weidenbach has found that pongee can barely survive Hawaii's winter, let alone a white Christmas in New York, where his potential market lies. "I don't do this just haphazardly," he said. "I think the same policy could work just as well" on the mainland.

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