Via the Maryland Department Of Natural Resources

Thanks to a local angler, here’s one less horrifyingly giant snakehead fish in the Potomac River.

Todd Murphy shot a 17.47 pound snakehead with a bow and arrow this weekend, breaking the Maryland state record for the invasive species. The catch comes pretty close to a world record broken in 2013 by a Virginia man who pulled in a 17-pound, 6-ounce monstrosity.

As we noted at the time:

Snakehead fish—often called “Frankenfish” because they look horrible and pretty much kill everything—are native Asian fish, but famously began popping up in a Maryland pond near the Potomac River in 2002, causing a mass panic and inspiring a bevy of ridiculous SyFy Channel movies.

The fish are known for their slimy scales, razor sharp teeth, terrifying ability to survive outside of water, and a general appearance that is the stuff nightmares are made of. Since the 2002 outbreak of the devilish fish, authorities have been trying to find ways to ensure they don’t destroy ecosystems, as they’re known to eat almost everything and anything in sight.

Experts say that the territory of the invasive fish is growing. A survey done by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service found that they have spread into the C&O Canal. The findings confirm scientists’ concerns that the species could gain a foothold in the non-tidal portion of the Potomac River, above Great Falls, where they previously had never been reported.

“Eradication is not possible once these fish become established in an open river system such as the Potomac,” DNR inland fisheries biologist John Mullican said in a release. “We expect that these fish will eventually become a permanent part of the Upper Potomac fish community. Confronting snakeheads in the canal system is the best way to mitigate their emigration into the Upper Potomac.”

DNR asks recreational fisherman to “enjoy pursuing, catching and removing” snakeheads as well as two other invasive fish—blue catfish and flathead catfish—by any legal method. There are no limits on season or size for the species. They’ve also added a competition to the annual Maryland Fishing Challenge for invasive fish.