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Invasive Species

A small deer ran across the road ahead of my car recently. I'm always encountering deer, foxes, pheasants or squirrels crossing the road. Have to be ultra-careful.
 
That the point of my post, neither were the 45 native snake species. Clarity is all

According to the report they're proposing to ban only the foreign imports/invasive species which have become a problem to native species/environment. OK, Florida may have plenty of native snake species of it's own but presumably the FWC want to keep these.
 
According to the report they're proposing to ban only the foreign imports/invasive species which have become a problem to native species/environment. OK, Florida may have plenty of native snake species of it's own but presumably the FWC want to keep these.
There are yearly python hunts that take place in Flodida, professionaly hunters from all over the world compete to kill as many as they can over the event, Kathy Reichs bases one of her novels around one of these events

https://kathyreichs.com/swamp-bones/
 
There are yearly python hunts that take place in Flodida, professionaly hunters from all over the world compete to kill as many as they can over the event, Kathy Reichs bases one of her novels around one of these events

https://kathyreichs.com/swamp-bones/
They would do better with a season long bounty vs these glamor shows. If the moneys enough trappers - hunters will do the rest.
 
Vid at link.

Northern Pacific seastar: The sea intruder causing havoc in Tasmania


The Northern Pacific seastar has spread rapidly through the River Derwent in Tasmania, Australia, since it was introduced from Japan in the 1980s.
Tasmanians hope a new effort to remove the species - which has no predator locally - will help save the critically endangered spotted handfish.

Video by Isabelle Rodd

Published12 hours ago

Section BBC News Subsection Australia

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-australia-56276521
 
Gardeners be on the look out

Brown stink bug among 'future threats' to gardens

Gardeners are being urged to be on alert for the stink bug insect and other pests set to arrive in the UK.

The brown marmorated stink bug has been spotted at three places in England so far, but experts are warning that it may become more widespread.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56366107
 
They might not be as big as Cromer crabs but they're still not welcome.

It may be a pleasantly exotic surprise when roaming the beach, but the public has been told that any sightings of blue crabs should be reported to biodiversity experts as soon as possible.

The National Biodiversity Data Centre, the organisation which collects and analyses data on Ireland’s biological diversity, warned that the first official blue crab sighting on the country's shores could be a sign that they have entered the Irish ecosystem, potentially threatening the existing environment. It said there was currently limited information on the occurrence of this species in Ireland, hence the call for people to submit any suspected sightings with photos.

"This is the first blue crab sighting in Ireland, and it was seen and photographed on February 15 by Ruth McManus on Dollymount Strand," the centre said. "A second report was submitted on March 9 by Wesley Bell, this time of a blue crab claw found on Dollymount Strand."

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40242557.html
 
Raccoon Dogs are on their way - and did I spot one yesterday?

Yesterday, me and my wife hiked a short stretch of The Ridgeway, finishing up at Ivinghoe Beacon.

We were lucky to have the beautiful scenery almost to ourselves, only passing two other hikers in the 4-5 mile walk.
Just before the steep hike up to the beacon itself, I spotted an animal I couldn't immediately identify some 20 metres off to my left.

I stopped and took a couple of steps towards it, but it scampered away into some bushes and I didn't see it again.

I only saw it for maybe two seconds. My impression was of a vaguely fox-shaped creature, but with much darker fur and hints of tortoiseshell markings.

Coincidentally, In today's Guardian, I just read this article about Raccoon Dogs set to become "the next non-native pest" and that one was recently sighted in Lincolnshire.

The photo looks very close to the animal I spotted, so I suspect there may be at least one Raccoon Dog on the loose in Buckinghamshire.



https://www.theguardian.com/environ...dogs-britain-non-native-pest-invasive-species
 

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Its when they disguise themselves as a teapot you really have to worry.
 
Alien seaweed attack.

Some of Ireland’s most important seagrass beds, which capture CO2 and provide a habitat for many marine species, are being damaged by the spread of an alien invasive seaweed, the environmental group Coastwatch has warned.

Seagrass beds in Kilmore Quay in Co Wexford, Bantry Bay in Co Cork and at Fenit beach in Tralee Bay, Co Kerry, have been overwhelmed by the species known as sargassum muticum. A large zostera marina seagrass meadow, straddling St Patrick’s Bridge near Kilmore Quay, is being progressively killed off, Coastwatch director Karin Dubsky confirmed.

“EU regulation and national law state that it is an offence to allow dispersal and spread of listed invasive alien species. Landowners who find a listed invasive species must act to prevent spread, but it is still unclear who is responsible at sea,” she added.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/env...sive-alien-seaweed-coastwatch-warns-1.4608204
 
Goldfish owners in Minnisota have been urged not to release unwanted pets in to lakes and ponds.

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"A city in the US state of Minnesota has urged residents not to release their unwanted pet fish into the wild after finding huge goldfish in a lake.

The common household pets can grow far bigger in the wild and cause major disruption to ecosystems.

The city of Burnsville shared images showing several monster goldfish caught during a survey of Keller Lake.

It said goldfish could contribute to poor water quality by disturbing sediment and uprooting plants."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57816922
 
Question comes to mind, are they edible
We were on a Hurtigruten cruise two years back and they had a special dining night where they served up king crab. This was the Norwegian way of using this invasive species of crab that was causing problems. If they had charged a little less they would likely have shifted a lot more. The meal was lovely but they know how to charge at Hurtigruten

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" . . . how do you shower if you have a big carp in your tub?"

Carp is also a favoured fish for Gefilte fish, beloved of Jewish folk. Maybe they just used what they could get!

British anglers, I understand, were always quite happy to throw them back, because their muddy taste reminded them of their facile anagram! :oops:
 
This was the Norwegian way of using this invasive species of crab that was causing problems. If they had charged a little less they would likely have shifted a lot more.
Looks delicious and sounds much like American crayfish, an invasive UK species of course - not inexpensive either!
 
Florida's python eradication competition held last month resulted in over 600 people removing 223 Burmese pythons from the Everglades area.
What happens when you allow hundreds of snake hunters in the Everglades? You get a winner

Gov. Ron DeSantis ... announced that the 2021 Florida Python Challenge has a new king.

The 10-day event, from July 9-18, resulted in the removal of a record 223 invasive pythons from South Florida ...

More than 600 people participated in the risky competition to remove invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades while raising awareness about the species.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the two biggest snakes removed were more than 15 feet long, one clocking in at almost 16 feet.

“Kudos to participants of the 2021 Florida Python Challenge for removing 223 invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades ecosystem!” wrote the FWC in a Facebook post.
FULL STORY (With Photos): https://www.yahoo.com/news/happens-allow-hundreds-snake-hunters-162000871.html
 
Great grey slugs are invading southern Poland ...
Polish national park sends out urgent warning after invasion of giant cannibal slugs

Grey slugs have invaded Poland, and are chasing down other species of slug at speeds of up to six inches per hour – and as an individual slug can have sex with itself they could spread very rapidly

Giant “alien” slugs that can grow up to eight inches in length have been spotted in a nature reserve in southern Poland.

Great grey slugs, which prey on other slugs as well as eating decaying plant matter and fungi, are native to western Europe but are considered an “alien” invasive species in Poland.

The monster slugs are common in the UK, first being spotted by naturalists in the 17th century. However as the climate heats up they are becoming increasingly widespread around the world. ...
FULL STORY: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/polish-national-park-sends-out-24847227
 
Mussels massacre native mollusks.

Mansur, an expert in bivalve mollusks, has been coming to this spot with students for more than 30 years to monitor local species. In the 1990s, the shore was covered with sedge and the lake bottom was strewn with the rounded shells of native mollusks.

Now, the shore is barren and the aquatic ecosystem unrecognizable. “I could fill a bucket with native species in a few minutes,” Mansur remembers. “Now, it can take me a whole morning to find half a dozen.”

Behind the transformation are tiny mollusks with arrow-shaped, caramel-colored shells, native to the Yangtze River in China: golden mussels (Limnoperna fortunei). When Mansur first noticed them on the shore in 1998, she recognized them at first sight based on warnings from colleagues who were already tracking them in Argentina. The species had arrived in the Americas a few years earlier in the ballast water of ships coming from Asia.

Months after Mansur first spotted them, the animals had taken over Lake Guaíba, plugging the pipes that supplied the city with water. Masses of dark, thumb-size adults mixed with golden pinkie nail–size newborns encrusted bedrock, boats, piers, and bridges, forming dense reeflike structures with more than 200,000 individuals per square meter. Without any local predator to control them, they choked and rotted the roots of plants along the shore, and even grew on top of other animals such as native mollusk species and crabs, suffocating them. “In 2 years, the golden mussel transformed the lake’s sandy beaches and vegetated margins into piles of dark and stinky shells,” Mansur recalls.

https://www.science.org/content/art...ting-south-american-rivers-amazon-may-be-next
 
Oysters from the Pacific purge piskies from Cornwall.

A "terrifying" expansion of an invasive oyster is threatening marine ecosystems, conservationists say.

Pacific oysters were brought to the UK from the US and Canada and farmed during the 1960s and 1970s, but now they are damaging protected estuaries.

"The numbers we are seeing now are pretty terrifying," said marine expert Matt Slater.

More than 150,000 oysters have been recently culled in a bid to control the species in Devon and Cornwall. A government report said further action was needed to control them as they were "super-abundant" in some locations.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-58739570
 
Oysters from the Pacific purge piskies from Cornwall.

A "terrifying" expansion of an invasive oyster is threatening marine ecosystems, conservationists say.

Pacific oysters were brought to the UK from the US and Canada and farmed during the 1960s and 1970s, but now they are damaging protected estuaries.

"The numbers we are seeing now are pretty terrifying," said marine expert Matt Slater.

More than 150,000 oysters have been recently culled in a bid to control the species in Devon and Cornwall. A government report said further action was needed to control them as they were "super-abundant" in some locations.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-58739570
By 'culled' do they mean eaten?
 

Feral Hogs Presence Growing In North Texas


Feral hogs seem to have the run of North Texas and in search of nutrient rich grubs, it’s no surprise that they’ve behaving like pigs.

iu


“They chew up the grass, they tear up the landscaping and again, they present a hazard with automobiles,” says Jack McFadden of Cedar Hill. “We’ve had at least the first reported accident of hitting three wild hogs here on Lake Ridge Parkway.”

With no natural predators, experts say their numbers are exploding throughout North Texas and that means trouble.

“Trinity River runs right through the heart– between South Dallas and North Tarrant County and that’s a hog highway,” explains Adam Henry, a USDA Urban Wildlife Damage Management Biologist. “We have anywhere from 2-6 million hogs, depending on which expert you talk to, throughout the state of Texas, so we’re not getting rid of hogs, anytime soon.”

The feral hogs are so despised in Texas, that they can be hunted 24/7 no license required. But. You can’t hunt with a firearm within city limits, so that leaves homeowners with fewer options: many are turning to trapping them, instead.

“We killed one here in our backyard that weighed close to 200 pounds,” says McFadden, who hunts with a bow. “They’re very smart. Once they see one captured, they move on.”

iu


An avid hunter, McFadden has more options than most, but still knows the hogs have the upper hand.

https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2021/11/05/feral-hogs-presence-growing/

maximus otter
 
They sound like Triffids, killing animals, and we're not told if the lost walkers were found alive.

Ten years ago Flor McCarthy realised he had a major problem on his farm in MacGillycuddy’s Reeks. Not only was land being taken over by rhododendron, but spring lambs let loose for the first time were nibbling the young leaves. Some were dying.

Hundreds of acres in the reeks have succumbed to the multi-stemmed shrub, which can live for 130 years and reach four metres in height in dense thickets.

“It’s becoming a massive problem. The Department [of Agriculture] don’t appreciate the scale of the problem,” says McCarthy, who manages his herd of sheep on lands spread across the Gap of Dunloe.

Rhododendron ponticum, the postcard-pretty purple-flowered plant loved by tourists, has spread widely from it now traditional 3,500 hectare base in Killarney National Park.

Today it is colonising hundreds of hectares high in the reeks, and as far south as Lauragh and west to Kells near the coast, choking out scores of native species.

Animals are also threatened, a conference in Killarney was told this month, while rescue services have been called on to locate disoriented tourists. Elsewhere, walkers in Tipperary have become lost.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ire...ng-problem-of-rhododendron-in-kerry-1.4727022
 
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Alderney folk are not sweet on sour figs.

An invasive plant is causing an "environmental emergency" in the Channel Islands, a wildlife charity has said.

Alderney Wildlife Trust said the sour fig was threatening sand dunes on the island. Between three and four metric tonnes of the plant was removed from the dunes at Saye on Saturday - the largest amount removed in a single day, it added. The plant prevents many other species, including wildflowers, from growing.

Sour fig, a non-native plant from South Africa, was first introduced to the island in the 1950s. The UK Government has made it illegal to plant or contribute to its growth. Alderney Wildlife Trust wants to see a similar rule brought in on the island.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-guernsey-59276178
 
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