Rudd Reign

The European rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus) has been found in Lake Erie, according to this article from GoErie.com. Two fish were recently discovered by biologists sampling waters in Presque Isle Bay for brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus). While this is the first time the species has been spotted in near Pennsylvania, it has been known in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario since the late 1990s.

Meal Worms

Government researchers in the Philippines have come up with a unique solution to the problem of earthworms destroying the ancient man-made Banaue Rice Terraces: make them into food. According to this article from ABS-CBN.com, scientists are looking into the possibility of harvesting the worms and processing them into "vermimeal" which can then be fed to animals. The worms burrow through the walls of rice paddies, causing terraces to weaken and collapse. Scientists are still working to identify the worm species, two of which have been confirmed as alien.

Take this with a grain of salt

Residents near Capitol Lake in Washington that are squeamish about using herbicides to control the invasive aquatic plant Eurasian milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) have thrown their support behind a plan to flood the lake with saltwater instead. According to this story from The Olympian, a flood gate would be opened at high tide, allowing salt water from Budd Inlet to flow in. At first glance, saltwater seems like a safe alternative to the herbicide fluridone, at least for humans. But consider that while fluridone has been said to have minimal impact on non-target species, the influx of inlet saltwater will affect much of the flora and fauna in the lake, can lower available oxygen in the water, and can raise nutrient levels, causing additional problems including algal blooms.

Thanks to a member of the ALIENS-L listserver for posting a link to this story.

Swans: regal birds of beauty, or nasty invasive species?

The debate over mute swans (Cygnus olor) continues, having now spread to Massachusetts. As reported in today's Boston Globe, some residents of Plum Island were alarmed to discover that for the past twelve years, workers in the wildlife sanctuary regularly "thin the ranks" of swans to keep them from scaring off native birds and consuming massive quantities of aquatic plants. At issue is exactly which creatures deserve the "Refuge" in Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. If you don't feel like reading the whole article, at least have a look at the resident quotes at the bottom of the page. You can also read about the mute swan hysteria in Maryland by clicking over to this previous blog entry.

You mean they didn't have one already?

According to this report in the Pacific Business News, officials in Hawaii are finally taking steps to create an Invasive Species Council. The council will be made up of members of various branches of the state government (original press release can be found here). Not sure what happened to the "temporary" council described here, perhaps it disappeared with the last governor's administration.

Living High on the Hogweed

Just in case you'd forgotten about last year's hogweed hysteria, officials in Connecticut are speaking up in this article in the Norwich Bulletin to remind you that the threat of invasion still exists. With its distinctive giant foliage and umbrella-like inflorescences, giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) should be easy to spot (look, but don't touch!). If you want to know more about the species, or if you live in Connecticut and would like to report a sighting, visit this page.

Insert Reporting Protocol Here

Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) have invaded Rotorua, New Zealand, according to this article from Stuff NZ. The species has been spreading in New Zealand since the 1990's - what makes this story newsworthy is the fact that the ants have been there for two years, but the animal pest coordinator for the Bay of Plenty regional council (apparently responsible for handling such situations), did not find out about the infestation until last week. The ants would normally be dormant during the winter but have remained active in places like Rotorua that are located near geothermal hotspots.