Florida International University researchers are sounding the alarm on an invasive species they say could be worse for the Everglades than the infamous burmese python.
The Asian swamp eel, a two to three foot slimy fish, certainly does not look the part; but it is wreaking havoc in the heart of the Everglades.
A lab at FIU in 2023 published a study that showed species that are vital food sources for the ecosystem’s native predators like the wading bird were getting depleted in Taylor Slough, the southeastern corner of the Everglades. Among them is the crayfish — a key food source now vanishing as the eels spread.
“These are also the kinds of prey, [crayfish] … the wading birds would like to eat,” said Nathan Dorn, an FIU biological sciences professor. “But this is exactly what’s disappearing from a lot of parts of the Everglades as the eels invade.”
