Misplaced Pages

#95904

50-614: Little Hunting Creek is a 3.6-mile-long (5.8 km) primarily tidal tributary of the Potomac River located in Fairfax County, Virginia , not to be confused with Hunting Creek farther north. A stone-arch bridge, completed in 1931, carries traffic on the George Washington Memorial Parkway across the narrow mouth of the creek, located 96.6 miles (155.5 km) upriver from the mouth of

100-618: A body of water , and its use prevents the spread of the highly invasive snakehead. In 2004, 19 northern snakeheads were captured in the Potomac River , and they were later confirmed to have become established (i.e., they were breeding). They are somewhat limited to that stretch of the river and its local tributaries , upstream by the Great Falls and downstream by the salinity of the Chesapeake Bay. Tests found they are not related to northern snakeheads found in other waters in

150-544: A 17 lb 12 oz (8.05 kg) northern snakehead, which was officially listed as the biggest ever caught on rod and reel, according to the International Game Fish Association . On May 20, 2016, Emory "Dutch" Baldwin of Indian Head , Maryland, boated an 18.42 lb (8.36 kg) northern snakehead in a tidal marsh of the Potomac using archery tackle . This fish was listed as

200-579: A 7.9 kg (17 lb 6 oz) northern snakehead from the junction of Aquia Creek and the Potomac River, beating the previous world record of 17 lb 4 oz (7.8 kg) caught in 2004, in Miki , Kagawa Prefecture , Japan . In late 2013, authorities in Maryland and Virginia were counting snakeheads in the Chesapeake Bay to better understand the impact of the introduction of the fish to

250-506: A bifurcated ventral aorta that permit aquatic and aerial respiration . This unusual respiratory system allows it to live outside of water for several days; it can wriggle its way to other bodies of water or survive being transported by humans. Only young of this species (not adults) may be able to move overland for short distances using wriggling motions. The preferred habitats of this species are stagnant water with mud substrate and aquatic vegetation, or slow, murky, swampy streams; it

300-590: A fork heading north and a fork heading east toward Fort Hunt Park . The North Branch breaks off from the main creek in a northeasterly direction about 1.5 statute miles (2.4 km) up from the Potomac River entrance, near the northwestern end of Stratford Landing. The Paul Spring Branch breaks off about another 1.5 statute miles (2.4 km) up the North Branch in the Hollin Hall area near Sherwood Hall Lane, and continues northward along Fort Hunt Road into

350-659: A length of 35.157 inches (89.3 cm). The snakehead was shot in Mattawoman Creek in Charles County , Maryland, near Indian Head. In October 2019, a number of northern snakeheads were found in a pond on private property in Gwinnett County , Georgia . In August 2021, a 30-inch (76 cm) snakehead weighing 5 pounds (2.3 kg) was caught in a reservoir in Canton , Massachusetts. In 2024

400-400: A new river, to be given its own name, perhaps one already known to the people who live upon its banks. Conversely, explorers approaching a new land from the sea encounter its rivers at their mouths, where they name them on their charts, then, following a river upstream, encounter each tributary as a forking of the stream to the right and to the left, which then appear on their charts as such; or

450-437: A small, anteriorly depressed head, the eyes above the middle part of the upper jaw, a large mouth extending well beyond the eye, and villiform teeth in bands, with large canines on the lower jaw and palatines . It is generally reported to reach a length up to 100 cm (3 ft 3 in), but specimens approaching 150 cm (4 ft 11 in) are known according to Russian ichthyologists . The largest registered by

500-619: A snakehead was confirmed at the Duck Creek Conservation Area in southeast Missouri . A new concern is that this fish's spreading is getting close to the Great Lakes , which it may enter and disrupt that ecosystem. In 2012, a suspected northern snakehead was found in a pond in Burnaby , British Columbia , but further study revealed that it had been released three months or less before its capture and that it

550-629: Is a species of snakehead fish native to temperate East Asia , in China , Russia , North Korea , and South Korea . Their natural range goes from the Amur River watershed in Siberia and Manchuria down to Hainan . It is an important food fish and one of the most cultivated in its native region, with an estimated 500 short tons (450 t) produced every year in China and Korea alone. Due to this,

SECTION 10

#1732787391096

600-446: Is primarily piscivorous , but is known to eat crustaceans , other invertebrates , and amphibians . The northern snakehead can double its population in as little as 15 years. It reaches sexual maturity at age three or four, when it will be about 30 to 35 cm (1 ft 0 in – 1 ft 2 in) long. The eggs are fertilized externally; a female can lay 100,000 eggs a year. Fertilization occurs in shallow water in

650-401: Is shorter than its lower jaw. Another noticeable difference is that the northern snakehead has scales that continue uniformly from the body through to their head, whereas bowfin heads are smooth and free of scales. The northern snakehead is a freshwater species and cannot tolerate salinity in excess of 10 parts per million. It is a facultative air breather; it uses a suprabranchial organ and

700-436: Is unusual among snakeheads, and is similar to Channa maculata , but can be distinguished by two bar-like marks on the caudal peduncle (where the tail attaches); in C. maculata , the rear bar is usually complete, with pale bar-like areas before and after, while in C. argus , the rear bar is irregular and blotched, with no pale areas around it. The eyespot bowfin ( Amia ocellicauda ) and northern snakehead can be found in

750-572: The Hollin Hills community and beyond. Little Hunting Creek is home to wildlife. Migratory birds such as mallards , Canada geese, great blue herons , and great egrets are common sights along the creek. Ospreys nest there, usually on top of a post in the creek. Bald eagles have been spotted in the area. Muskrats and the occasional beaver have been seen in Little Hunting Creek, and groundhogs and foxes can be found in

800-404: The International Game Fish Association weighs 9.53 kg (21 lb 0 oz). Its coloration is a golden tan to pale brown, with dark blotches on the sides and saddle-like blotches across the back. Blotches toward the front tend to separate between top and bottom sections, while rear blotches are more likely to be contiguous. Coloration is nearly the same between juveniles and adults, which

850-510: The International Game Fish Association , Damien Cook, caught a world-record 9.53 kg (21 lb 0 oz) northern snakehead in Dorchester County, Maryland , United States, on 5 July 2023 Northern snakeheads are respected among some Chinese fishermen for their virtue, as parent snakefish are known to sacrifice themselves to protect their young. The young fish are said to rush to feed upon their mother after she gives birth and

900-657: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) had collected a number of the native fish, and then poisoned the waters with a liquid rotenone formulation. After the poisoning, the NYSDEC had to identify, measure, and additionally process the fish to adhere with New York Bureau of Fisheries procedures before disposal. The treatment plan was operated under several agents, and New York State Police were placed on stand-by in case of protests by local residents. [1] In April 2013, sightings of

950-724: The 1920s, and since then have spread to about every suitable body of water on the Japanese mainland. During the Cold War, the USSR imported several different species of fish from eastern Eurasia into Europe for new prospects in aquaculture. Among these fish was the northern snakehead, which came from the Amur River basin and were stocked in various ponds of the Moscow region starting in 1949. These initial experiments were successful and it

1000-591: The Little Hunting could not be filled in, because the soil in the creek bed was very unstable. By the 1960s residential communities began to spring up on both sides of the creek. The remnants of a sewage treatment plant are situated on the eastern shore of the creek downstream of the North Branch fork. The headwaters of Little Hunting Creek begin in Huntley Meadows Park on the west side of U.S. Route 1 , about 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of

1050-668: The Mansion House Farm to the west from the River Farm to the east. In 1765, when Fairfax Parish was carved out of the existing Truro Parish , Little Hunting Creek marked the southeastern end of the dividing line. In 1929, a bridge was designed as a part of the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, and completed in 1931. The bridge was not part of the original plans for the highway – other creeks were successfully filled in with soil to cut costs; but

SECTION 20

#1732787391096

1100-497: The Potomac River entrance to the creek. The creek is fed by three major tributaries. The South Branch (known during colonial times as Carney's Gut, after the tenant there) is located in the southeast portion of what is now the Stratford Landing neighborhood. It empties into the east side of the creek a few hundred yards northeast of the Potomac River entrance, and bifurcates southeast of Fort Hunt Elementary School into

1150-515: The Potomac. The Washington family built its Mount Vernon plantation on the Potomac River along both banks of Little Hunting Creek during colonial times. The creek is bordered by residential communities in addition to the Mount Vernon property. It is a popular location for recreational fishing , and much of the wildlife characteristic of the tidal Potomac wetlands can be spotted there. At

1200-541: The countries of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, all of which used to be part of the former Soviet Union. More specifically, they are known to be in the Amu Darya , Syr Darya , and Kashka-Darya since the 1960s due to both accidental and intentional releases. Since then, snakeheads have also been introduced to the Sarysu River , Talas River , and Chu River . They have become an important commercial fish in

1250-464: The creek and from there to the Potomac River. Nesting ospreys can often be observed from a road in the Stratford Landing neighborhood, Thomas J. Stockton Parkway, that runs alongside the creek. The creek is an excellent place for largemouth bass fishing. In 2004, a debate arose about whether the installation of duck blinds and duck hunting should be permitted on the creek. Swimming is not advised, particularly in light of drownings that have occurred in

1300-497: The early morning. The eggs are yellow and spherical, about 2 mm (0.079 in) in diameter. Eggs hatch after about 1–2 days, but they can take much longer at lower temperatures. The eggs are guarded by the parents until egg absorption, when the eggs are about 8 mm (0.31 in) long. Two subspecies have been recognized: In its native Asia, the snakehead fish is considered to be an important food fish and for this reason they have been exported to many other regions around

1350-416: The first-order tributary being typically the least in size. For example, a second-order tributary would be the result of two or more first-order tributaries combining to form the second-order tributary. Another method is to list tributaries from mouth to source, in the form of a tree structure , stored as a tree data structure . Northern snakehead The northern snakehead ( Channa argus )

1400-451: The handedness is from the point of view of an observer facing upstream. For instance, Steer Creek has a left tributary which is called Right Fork Steer Creek. These naming conventions are reflective of the circumstances of a particular river's identification and charting: people living along the banks of a river, with a name known to them, may then float down the river in exploration, and each tributary joining it as they pass by appears as

1450-424: The joining of tributaries. The opposite to a tributary is a distributary , a river or stream that branches off from and flows away from the main stream. Distributaries are most often found in river deltas . Right tributary , or right-bank tributary , and left tributary , or left-bank tributary , describe the orientation of the tributary relative to the flow of the main stem river. These terms are defined from

1500-480: The local ecosystem . The Commonwealth of Virginia has criminalized the "introduc[tion]" of snakeheads into the state without specific authorization, although the relevant statute does not explain whether mere importation is sufficient to constitute "introduc[tion] into the Commonwealth" or whether instead release into the environment is required. On May 20, 2014, Luis Aragon of Triangle , Virginia,, caught

1550-619: The northern snakehead has been exported throughout the world and has managed to establish non-native populations in Central Asia and North America . In the United States, it is found in Pennsylvania , Virginia , West Virginia , Delaware , Maryland , North Carolina , Arkansas and Mississippi . The distinguishing features of a northern snakehead include a long dorsal fin with 49–50 rays, an anal fin with 31–32 rays,

Little Hunting Creek - Misplaced Pages Continue

1600-710: The northern snakehead was found in drainage ditches in Arkansas as a result of a commercial fish-farming accident. Recent flooding may have allowed the species to spread into the nearby White River , which would allow an eventual population of the fish in the Arkansas River and Mississippi River . In the summer of 2008, an infestation of the northern snakehead was confirmed in Ridgebury Lake and Catlin Creek near Ridgebury , New York . By August 2008,

1650-406: The opposite bank before approaching the confluence. An early tributary is a tributary that joins the main stem river closer to its source than its mouth, that is, before the river's midpoint ; a late tributary joins the main stem further downstream, closer to its mouth than to its source, that is, after the midpoint. In the United States, where tributaries sometimes have the same name as

1700-476: The perspective of looking downstream, that is, facing the direction the water current of the main stem is going. In a navigational context, if one were floating on a raft or other vessel in the main stream, this would be the side the tributary enters from as one floats past; alternately, if one were floating down the tributary, the main stream meets it on the opposite bank of the tributary. This information may be used to avoid turbulent water by moving towards

1750-800: The region, alleviating some concern of their overland migration. Northern snakeheads continue to be caught in the river as of 2022. The northern snakehead has been found in three counties of Florida , and may already be established there. Apparently unestablished specimens have been found in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in New York City , two ponds in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , a pond in Massachusetts , and reservoirs in California and North Carolina . In 2008,

1800-520: The region, with around 10 metric tons being harvested from just the Talas in 1989. The fish first appeared in U.S. news when an alert fisherman discovered one in a Crofton , Maryland , pond in the summer of 2002. The northern snakehead was considered a threat to the Chesapeake Bay watershed , and wary officials took action by draining the pond in an attempt to destroy the species. The action

1850-666: The river into which they feed, they are called forks . These are typically designated by compass direction. For example, the American River in California receives flow from its North, Middle, and South forks. The Chicago River 's North Branch has the East, West, and Middle Fork; the South Branch has its South Fork, and used to have a West Fork as well (now filled in). Forks are sometimes designated as right or left. Here,

1900-408: The same waters on the swampy tidal coastal plain of the mid-Atlantic United States , such as the Potomac and Delaware River , and are commonly confused with each other. Some contrasting differences in northern snakehead include the lack of a black eyespot on their caudal peduncle, a golden tan to brown coloration with dark splotches, a longer anal fin, a more elongated head, and an upper jaw that

1950-418: The smaller stream designated the little fork, the larger either retaining its name unmodified, or receives the designation big . Tributaries are sometimes listed starting with those nearest to the source of the river and ending with those nearest to the mouth of the river . The Strahler stream order examines the arrangement of tributaries in a hierarchy of first, second, third and higher orders, with

2000-536: The species in Central Park 's Harlem Meer prompted New York City officials to urge anglers to report and capture any individuals. Ron P. Swegman , author of several angling essays on Central Park's ponds, confirmed the species had put both anglers and the State of New York's Department of Environmental Protection on high alert. On 1 June 2013, Caleb Newton, a resident of Spotsylvania County , Virginia , caught

2050-548: The state sport record in Maryland by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources . On the night of May 24, 2018, Andrew “Andy” Fox of Mechanicsville , Maryland, shot a northern snakehead with a bow and arrow, which was officially listed as the biggest ever shot according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The record-breaking northern snakehead weighed 19.9 lb (9.0 kg), with

Little Hunting Creek - Misplaced Pages Continue

2100-432: The streams are seen to diverge by the cardinal direction (north, south, east, or west) in which they proceed upstream, sometimes a third stream entering between two others is designated the middle fork; or the streams are distinguished by the relative height of one to the other, as one stream descending over a cataract into another becomes the upper fork, and the one it descends into, the lower ; or by relative volume:

2150-534: The time of John Smith's explorations of Virginia in the early 17th century, Little Hunting Creek was the site of a settlement of Indians from the Doeg (Dogue) tribe . By the latter part of that century, the land by Little Hunting Creek had come into the hands of John Washington , great-grandfather of George Washington . What was originally known as Little Hunting Creek Plantation eventually became known as George Washington's Mount Vernon estate . The creek separated

2200-416: The vicinity of the stone-arch bridge. Tributary A tributary , or an affluent , is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ( main stem or "parent" ), river, or a lake . A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean . Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they flow, drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater , leading

2250-466: The water out into an ocean. The Irtysh is a chief tributary of the Ob river and is also the longest tributary river in the world with a length of 4,248 km (2,640 mi). The Madeira River is the largest tributary river by volume in the world with an average discharge of 31,200 m /s (1.1 million cu ft/s). A confluence , where two or more bodies of water meet, usually refers to

2300-543: The woods near the water. Fish such as catfish , carp , perch , and largemouth bass are found in the creek. In 2004, Little Hunting Creek became one of the first places where invasive northern snakehead fish were caught near the Potomac. Little Hunting Creek remains navigable by canoe or kayak upstream to the North Branch fork or farther, depending on the tides. Both sides of the navigable creek border residential communities, and many homeowners maintain private boat docks for launching canoes, sailboats and other vessels into

2350-596: The world. They were first introduced to Japan from mainland Asia in the early 1900s, where they have since become a sport fish . The USSR experimented with aquaculture of snakeheads during the mid 20th century in both Europe and Central Asia . In the United States , snakeheads were only cultured in Arkansas , but have managed to establish populations there and several states in the Mid-Atlantic . Snakeheads of Korean stock were first introduced to Japan in

2400-514: Was a blotched snakehead or perhaps a hybrid involving that species. Before its exact identity was revealed, the government of British Columbia introduced legislation banning the possession of snakeheads and several other potentially invasive species. However, unlike the northern snakehead, which could establish a population in parts of Canada , the blotched snakehead generally lives only in warmer waters than those found in Canada. According to

2450-718: Was recommended that snakehead be stocked into various other waterbodies. However, only one shipment to Czechoslovakia was ever made in 1955, and nothing else after. The snakehead was also introduced to the Volga Delta and various ponds in Yekaterinburg , but are presumed to have failed due to no reports since then. While the snakeheads were reported to have been breeding in Moscow in the 1950s, they have since disappeared. There are no known populations in Europe in this moment. The snakehead has managed to establish themselves in

2500-509: Was successful, and two adults and over 100 juvenile fish were found and destroyed. A man admitted having released two adults, which he had purchased from a New York City market, into the pond. When the northern snakehead was found in Crofton, the piscicide rotenone was added to the three adjacent ponds. The chemical breaks down rapidly, and has a half-life in water of one to three days. This method of containment kills all fish present in

#95904