'Frankenfish' Terrorises Waterways of New York

Invasive predator fish that can live out of water for days to be hunted in Central Park. Predatory 'Frankenfish' that looks like a snake and can live out of water for days terrorises NY. A toothy predator fish nicknamed Frankenfish is lurking in the lakes of Central Park, conservation workers believe. Officials are set to survey one particular lake this week, searching for the northern snakehead fish that they say threatens to disrupt the ecosystem in Manhattan's premier ponds. The fish, native to China, Russia and Korea, has been spotted in Queens and in Harlem in recent years. It preys on frogs and crayfish and is able to breathe air and live for days out of water in certain conditions. The gruesome-looking creature, which has the head of a snake and the body of a fish, is so disruptive that the state prohibits possession, sale and transport of the live fish and its eggs, according to NBC News. Department of Environmental Conservation has erected signs around the Harlem Meer warning anglers who snag one of the unappealing fish not to throw it back but to hand it over. 'Secure the fish' and 'keep it in a secure container until it is picked up by officials,' the sign instructs. And if park officials cannot be found, fishing enthusiasts are urged to call 311 and report their snakehead fish catch. '(The sign) is just to let people know that this fish is in there, if you find it please do not return it to the water and it also helps people become aware that there are things in the water that should not be there,' Melissa Cohen, Department of Environmental Conservation fisheries manager, told NBC News. 'It's a top predator so it eats other fish and alot of other things and it also produces a lot of eggs.' None of the creatures turned up in surveys in 2009 and 2011 but the conservation department is testing again tomorrow. 'Hopefully we won't find any,' Cohen said. Harlem Meer, a man-made lake, is located between 106th and 110th streets in Central Park's northeast corner. Despite it's appearance, the fish reportedly graced the menu at Manhattan's Gramercy Tavern restaurant late last year.