Northern Snakehead regulations in Virginia

· Freshwater · 2026 season

Is it a keeper? Northern Snakehead is an invasive species: keep it, no size or daily limit, and do not return it to the water.

Northern Snakehead size limit, season and daily limit

Where	Season	Size limit	Daily limit
Inland waters	Open year-round	None	No statewide daily limit

Notes

A 2026-10-31 check against the official source found a discrepancy in this species' notes. Read the official wording before keeping the fish: https://dwr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/media/creel-and-length-limits.pdf
Kill immediately and notify DWR.

Exact Virginia Marine Resources Commission wording

Season: Open year-round
Size: None
Limit: No statewide daily limit
Inland waters — as printed: “Northern Snakehead: No statewide daily limit; must immediately kill the fish and notify the department”

Source: Virginia Marine Resources Commission, captured 2026-09-21 (2026 season).

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About the northern snakehead

Species of fish

The northern snakehead also known as Chesapeake Channa in Maryland U.S 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 510,000 tonnes annual production worldwide. Due to this, 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, Missouri, and Mississippi.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Regulations on this page come from Virginia Marine Resources Commission, not Wikipedia.

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Frequently asked

What is the size limit for Northern Snakehead in Virginia?

None in Virginia state waters.

How many Northern Snakehead can you keep per day in Virginia?

No statewide daily limit.

When is Northern Snakehead season in Virginia?

Open year-round.

Is my Northern Snakehead a keeper today?

Northern Snakehead is an invasive species: keep it, no size or daily limit, and do not return it to the water.