This is the fish known as Pla Chon in Thailand and SEA
It makes a great salted fermented preserved fish paste .
An enterprising entrepreneur here in the US could set up a small factory making this product with a good recipe and make millions of dollars marketing it throughout the SE Asian community here . No need for import the old and funky stuff from SEA anymore . Fresh is always better . SEA folks would but that product all day long forever .
The Chinese say don’t worry about the invasion of the northern snakehead, just remember to use plenty of ginger when cooking it.
In Nam it was known as nuoc mam.