Species that are considered uncertain risk need a more in-depth assessment beyond the Risk Summary to better define the species’ risk to U.S. environments.
Small snakehead (Channa asiatica) is a freshwater fish native to China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Like other Channa species, C. asiatica can breathe atmospheric air. This fish is present in fisheries and is in the aquarium trade. All species of Channidae are listed as injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act in the United States, and many States have restrictions as well. There have been populations reported as introduced or established outside of their native range, but no information was found regarding impacts of introduction. Therefore, the history of invasiveness is classified as Data Deficient. C. asiatica has an overall Medium climate match in the contiguous United States. Much of the northern and western areas had low match, with high match being found in the southeast and central Great Plains. Due to the lack of information regarding impacts of the introduced populations, the certainty of assessment is Low. The overall risk assessment for Channa asiatica is Uncertain.
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Uncertain Risk
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