Invasion Notes

Can my employer legally force me to get a flu vaccine?

We received an email last week that it is mandatory for all staff that get a flu vaccine this year. I work for a hospital (NOTE: our office is not located in the hospital, nor do we have any direct contact with patients). I do not believe them when they shot does not protect against every strain of flu out there. I've never had a flute shots and never had the flu. Can they really force us to get this shot? I feel like this is an invasion of my personal, private, health.

They can definitely force you to get one as a condition for continuing to work there. Almost all people working in healthcare - regarless of the degree of contact with patients and subject to the same OHAS regulations. You can get shot or get another job.

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Talking Heads: New Sightings of Invasive Aquatic Aliens

One aquatic horror film proclaimed it "Part fish. Part snake. Pure Evil". National Geographic dubbed the "Fishzilla." Fishermen call it "A Pike on Steroids." The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledged the name "Frank Fish" and noted the Giant Snakehead (Channa micropeltes) had "reportedly attacked, and in some instances killed, humans who approached the mass of young people" who guarded by their parents.

The discovery of a breeding population of Northern Snakehead (Channa argus) in Crofton, Maryland in 2002 spawned three bio-horror film:''Snakehead Terror''(2004),''Frank Fish''(2005) og''Swarm of Talking Heads''(2006).

Although all very excited the biological truth about these Toothy predators, aquarists who have kept a Snakehead has no shortage of anecdotes about their ability to eat every tank mate in an aquarium, even killing other fish to cut attacks and not worry about eating the victims.

Ambush Predators

The Channidae is a family of 29 species of bottom dwelling ambush predators native to Asia to barter with other fish, crustaceans, frogs, snakes, and even turtles, rodents and waterfowl. They are widely regarded as a food fish in Asia, and respected by fishermen for biting human hands when caught. Harmless juveniles but now banned, are sometimes available to aquarium users.

Unfortunately, some dismayed hobbyists are accused of turning troublesome adult Snakehead loose in local ponds, streams, rivers and lakes. A spreading pattern of invasive Snakehead fish population and wildlife authorities in many states on alert for the appearance of these can adapted, voracious fish. Biologists fear that their introduction to waters outside their original areas can result in declining populations of aquatic life are not accustomed to pressure brought by a large, voracious predator.

Creeping Invaders

Because they are well able to move overland from one body of water to another (to live up to several days breathing air with a primitive labyrinth organ), Snakehead poses particular challenges to keep them in check. Escaped talking heads tend to be difficult to kill, although a number of attacks have been eradicated in several countries.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports that Northern Snakehead continues to spread in the U.S. waters, with sightings in 2008 in Little Piney Creek near Monroe, Arkansas, in a pond on a Mount Vernon golf course in Fairfax, Virginia, and in Catlin Creek in Wawayanda, New York. One Northern Snakehead was caught in the Potomac River in front of the Pentagon in 2007.

Amy J. Benson of the U.S. Geological Survey in Gainesville, Florida, says the Northern Snakehead has established themselves in Arkansas, New York and Pennsylvania. "The Snakehead is not established everywhere they have found," she says. "Unfortunately the small established populations has begun to spread a bit. The largest population by far is in the Potomac River in Virginia and Maryland. "

In all, four different species of Snakehead caught wild in the U.S., in California, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. Hawaii has an entrenched population Chevron Snakehead on Oahu, which was introduced as a food fish in the late 1800s. The Bullseye or Cobra Snakehead (''Channa marulius''), growing to a maximum of 180 cm in length and weigh up to 30 kg, is established as an invasive species in lakes and canals in Broward Country, Florida.

According to the USGS's Amy Benson "More Giant Snakehead (Channa micropeltes) have been collected in Maryland since 2000, apart from the Northern Snakehead."

Sources of Released Fish

Aquarists "liberating" a Snakehead, which has grown too large and too aggressive or has bitten the hand of its keeper, are blamed for some releases into the wild. But this is a family with an avid following in the Asian food markets in the U.S. where it has been sold live by the tens of thousands, especially by Oriental fishmongers in larger urban areas such as Boston, New York and Los Angeles.

Indeed, the presumed guilty party in the first release of Snakehead in Maryland was a man who had purchased a number of live fish from one fish market, intending to use them for medicinal purposes for his ill sister. When her health improved, he dumped them in the local pond.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, could Snakehead imagine getting a foothold in many parts of North America. "Based on water temperature alone, all U.S. fresh or brackish water would allow some member of the Snakehead family to establish themselves, "says an online report called" Frank Fish: The Facts ".

"Because talking heads are so aggressive that they pose a great risk to endangered species. Of all the endangered species in U.S. aquatic habitats, 16 amphibians, 115 fish, and five of the 21 federally protected crustaceans maximum likely to be affected by Snakehead introductions. "

U.S. is not alone in worrying about the spread of talking heads. In February 2008, an angler in Lincolnshire England caught a 24-inch (60 cm) Giant Snakehead (Channa micropeltes) in the River Witham. The fisherman, Andy Alder, told the British press: "It was a gob full of razor sharp teeth. To be honest it is so terrible. "Authorities believe it was a single fish released into the river by an aquarium keeper and not a part of a breeding population. The British have a fine of 2,500 pounds to release aquarium fish and has limited import of the Northern Snakehead (Channa argus).

Although their sale and possession without permit is banned in the U.S., talk slides are still available via the Internet and occasionally pops up in the live fish trade. Aquarium users talking heads are urged to ensure they do not end in local waters, either by intentional release or escape. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may be called to remove a large Snakehead, which can not be handled safely by its owner.

About the Author

James M. Lawrence is editor of Microcosm Aquarium Explorer., an educational resource for conscientious aquarium keepers. For a map and more information on invasive fish species and identifying images visit: Snakehead Sightings Map & Images.

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