B.C.'s snakehead caught after Burnaby pond drained

The so-called frankenfish living in a Burnaby, B.C., lagoon was finally caught after officials drained the water from the park reservoir.

The fish was caught by biologists after they dragged a net through the partially drained pond just after 11 a.m. PT Friday. It was killed shortly after it was caught.

Previous attempts to catch the fish with netswere unsuccessful, so earlier this week, provincial officials began pumping water out of the lagoon in hopes of finding and destroying the fish.

Environment Minister Terry Lake said it's a preventive measure.

"Once this fish gets into the ecosystem, it can really affect the biodiversity of the natural ecosystems, and so native species will simply die off at the hands of this northern snakehead. We have to prevent this fish from coming in and destroying ecosystems here in British Columbia."

Officials say once the pond is drained, any and all invasive species they find will be removed, and it will be refilled and restocked with native species.

A video of thefish was posted on YouTubeafter a resident saw it in the lagoon in Burnaby's Central Park.

Snakeheads, which originally come fromChina,are considered highly invasive, can grow to a metre in length and have rows of pointy teeth.

They are reported to have wiped out native fish stocks in parts of the U.S. The fish is said to eat frogs, birds and even small pets.

The fish also has a primitive lung system that allows it to stay out of water for extended periods and move between bodies of water.