Invasive species News

EU plans an extensive review of proposal to ban American lobsters By Karen Graham In a move that could hurt American and Canadian lobster fisheries, the European Union is conducting an extensive review of a proposal to ban lobsters imported from the U.S. and Canada.

U.K. gardens being taken over by voracious foreign invader By Karen Graham Nothing is worse than going out to your garden and finding it has been eaten overnight by voracious five-inch brown and orange mottled slugs. But that is exactly what British gardeners are dealing with today — an invasion of Spanish slugs.

New study assesses our ability to deal with invasive species By Karen Graham An international team of researchers has come up with a global assessment on how invasive alien species could spread in the 21st century due to increasing globalization and a changing climate.

Deadly invasive New Guinea flatworm spreading in Florida By Karen Graham Cape Coral - The invasive and deadly New Guinea flatworm, first reported in Miami, Florida in June 2015, has now spread to the state's southwestern coast. Specimens of the land-dwelling predators have been found in Cape Coral.

Warnings issued in Canada and U.S. over giant hogweed plant By Karen Graham Authorities in Michigan and Ontario, Canada are the latest to issue warnings on the dangers of a giant invasive plant that can cause severe burns and blindness in those unfortunate enough to tangle with it.

Red-necked wallabies living in colony outside of Paris By Brian Booker Paris - The leafy villages west of Paris are finding themselves facing a serious immigration problem, but rather than illegal immigrants from North Africa, village residents are facing off against wallabies from the Land Down Under.

Albertans warned: Do not flush goldfish down the toilet By Karen Graham Thoughtless people in Alberta, Canada have created an environmental problem by flushing unwanted goldfish down their toilets. The invasive species has managed to survive and reproduce, some getting quite large.

In tracking Burmese pythons, 'it's all about food and sex' By Karen Graham Learning more about the home range and normal movement within the Burmese python's habitat will provide much needed information in controlling the invasive species in the Everglades national Park in Florida, according to a new study by the USGS.

Unraveling the global invasion of the Monk Parakeet By Karen Graham Monk parakeets, also called Quaker parrots, began invading Europe and North America about 40 or 50 years ago. While the global spread of this delightful parrot is amazing, they all appear to have originated from one area of South America.

Invasion of goldfish turns Colorado lake into giant fishbowl By Karen Graham Boulder - Apparently tired of their goldfish, someone several years ago dumped them into Boulder, Colorado's Teller Lake #5, thinking it was more humane than flushing them down the toilet. Today, the lake is home to almost 4,000 descendants of those goldfish.

European fire ants disrupt ecosystems to help spread alien plants By Karen Graham The European fire ant is an unwanted invasive species in Eastern North America. It has taken over back yards and is capable of a very nasty bite. This ant is a seed disperser, and research has shown they could wreck havoc on our native ecosystems.

Human activity encroaching on Antarctica's ecosystems By Karen Graham Antarctica is the world's last great wilderness, a continent covering 5.4 million square miles, or about twice the size of Australia, Antarctica belongs to no one nation, and there is no government, other than an international agreement.

Ontario takes a stand against invasive species By Karen Graham Invasive species control costs the economy of Ontario tens of millions of dollars annually. The impact these foreign invaders make on the ecology and the environment is often irreparable, if not irreversible. Ontario is doing something about the problem.

Asian carp: The other white fish By W. Mark Dendy Asian carp were imported to the United States in the 1970's to control algae in aquaculture ponds. But much like the mongoose that was imported to the Hawaii islands to control rats, the carp proliferated and are now an invasive, nuisance species.

Op-Ed: The jellyfish invasion spreads deadly Irukandji around the world By Paul Wallis Sydney - The Australian Irukandji jellyfish is the most venomous creature on Earth. Its appearance in places as far apart as Cape Town and Florida isn’t good news . Unlike other jellyfish, this species is a real environmental hazard.

Fisherman catches 84-pound blue catfish in Potomac River By Leigh Goessl An Oregon man was fishing in Maryland's Potomac River waters and caught a huge blue catfish, its size was a record-setter in the state.

Canadian province of B.C. to have Snakehead fish ban by fall By Marcus Hondro The nasty snakehead fish, or Frankenfish, will soon be against the law to bring into the Canadian province of British Columbia. The plan to ban the fishes import comes on the heels of the removal of one from a Burnaby lagoon.

Report: World bee decline signals ‘sixth major extinction’ By Lynn Herrmann Geneva - A new report on honey bee and pollinator decline indicates a “sixth major extinction” of biological diversity is currently underway, caused by habitat loss, pollution, pest invasion, and disease, leading to ecosystem havoc vital to human livelihood.

Guilt-free fashion fur but only if you are wearing swamp rat Special By Lynn Morris New Orleans - Can fashion fur ever be guilt free? Apparently yes, but only if you are wearing swamp rat. A project in Louisiana is turning the invasive species nutria into high fashion.

Genetically modified canola found growing wild in Dakota Special By Stephanie Dearing Pittsburgh - A University of Arkansas researcher has found genetically modified canola growing wild in Dakota -- in addition, she found two different GM varieties had interbred to produce a completely new GM canola.

New Study Looks at Causes for Surge of Invasive Species By Martin Laine Whether plants, animals, or fungi, invasive alien species appear to be on some kind of massive move. In Europe alone some 11,000 alien invasive species have been identified. The question is why, and why now?

Rock Snot Spreading Like a Real-Life Blob By Martin Laine An algae that forms a gobby, gooey mess is acting like the central feature of the 1950s horror flick “The Blob,” slowly spreading around the world, choking the life out of many pristine waterways. Experts say there is no way to control or eradicate it

Invasive Species Threaten Salmon in Pacific Northwest By Bob Ewing A study published in the March 2009 issue of BioScience concludes that nonindigenous species pose a threat to native salmonids.

The rise of the supercolonies- Ants invade Europe By Paul Wallis For ants, supercolonies are a huge evolutionary step. These are virtually immortal colonies, ant “civilizations”. These colonies contain multiple queens, and millions of workers. They also destroy native ant species, and trash ecologies.

Tiny Snail Alters Great Lakes Ecology By Bob Ewing The New Zealand mud snail currently inhabits four of the five Great Lakes and is now spreading into rivers and tributaries,

Europe invaded by alien species- 1517 of them By Paul Wallis French scientists have done a study to identify the invaders. The numbers are big, and getting bigger. On average, 19 new species of invertebrate enter Europe every year. In the middle of the 20th century, it was 10 a year.

Swamphens Being Eradicated By Conservation Officers By Debra Myers In the past 18 months, more than 800 swamphens have been killed in an effort to control their numbers in the Everglades. The numbers of swamphens are competing heavily with the Everglades own indigenous birds as well as ruining the natural habitat.

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