VOA标准英语2012--Snakehead Fish Fair Game for Anglers

 

Snakehead Fish Fair Game for Anglers

On any given sunny weekend, the snakehead is the region’s most wanted fish. An 18-hour competition put more than 600 kilograms of these toothy monsters on ice.

Fishermen like Mike McDermott and Teddy McKenzie say they love going after snakeheads because it’s a good hunt.

“We always joke around, it’s more like rabbit hunting in the water,” said McDermott. “It’s worse [harder]. It’s like hunting the big buck¹ [deer]," McKenzie added.

The thrill of the chase - and the $1500 prize - helped draw fishermen to the tournament. They caught 75 percent more fish than the organizers had hoped. Director Austin Murphy notes that there were more fishermen this year than at last year’s inaugural² contest. 

“That’s a huge success in our book. We more than doubled the amount of participants that are here today," he said. "So, we are really excited.”

The goal of the snakehead tournament is to help control a species that only recently arrived in the Potomac river but threatens to take over, according to Josh Newhard of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“They’re not going to have many native predators³, and they grow large, they grow fast, and they reproduce in high numbers," he explained. "So they really have a high potential to out-compete other species.”

Once an invasive species like the snakehead takes hold in a new environment, it can be extremely hard to pry⁴ loose. But the snakehead has one major weakness. Maryland state Department of Natural Resources official Steve Vilnit remembers a conversation he had a few years ago. 

“Someone mentioned that we have snakeheads in the water. And I said, ‘Well, are they good enough to eat?’ And the biologist said, ‘They’re delicious,’” Vilnit recalled.

In fact, snakeheads are widely cooked and enjoyed in their native Asia. Vilnit works with local chefs to get them on the menu. Visitors sample snakehead fried, sautéed, and as fish cakes, marinated in lime juice.

And by unleashing⁵ area fishermen, wildlife officials hope to win by losing. Most species have limits on how many fish a fisherman can catch. It's to keep the population from crashing. Not this fish, says Maryland’s Steve Vilnit.

“This is the first fishery I’ve been in where I have to eliminate the fishery,” he said.

Skeptics doubt the tenacious⁶ snakehead will ever be entirely⁷ eliminated in the Potomac. But fishermen, chefs and diners can certainly enjoy trying. 

1 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

2 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

3 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 pry   

vi.窥(刺)探，打听；vt.撬动(开，起)

参考例句：

• He's always ready to pry into other people's business.他总爱探听别人的事。
• We use an iron bar to pry open the box.我们用铁棍撬开箱子。

5 unleashing   

v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Company logos: making people's life better by unleashing Cummins power. 公司理念：以康明斯动力建设更美好的生活！ 来自互联网
• Sooner or later the dam will burst, unleashing catastrophic destruction. 否则堤坝将崩溃，酿成灾难。 来自互联网

6 tenacious   

adj.顽强的，固执的，记忆力强的，粘的

参考例句：

• We must learn from the tenacious fighting spirit of Lu Xun.我们要学习鲁迅先生韧性的战斗精神。
• We should be tenacious of our rights.我们应坚决维护我们的权利。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。