Tropical fish a threat to Mediterranean Sea ecosystems

The tropical rabbitfish which have devastated algal forests in the eastern Mediterranean Sea pose a major threat to the entire Mediterranean basin if their distribution continues to expand as the climate warms, a new study warns.

The study, by an international team of researchers led by Dr Adriana Vergés of UNSW Australia and Dr Fiona Tomas of the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies in Spain, is published in the Journal of Ecology.

Members of the team surveyed more than 1000 kilometres of coastline in Turkey and Greece, where two species of rabbitfish have become dominant since they moved into the region via the Suez Canal.

"The study identified two clearly distinct areas – warmer regions with abundant rabbitfish and colder regions where they were rare or absent," says Dr Vergés.

Read more at: 

Anglers Rewarded For 'Fish From Hell' Catch - via Simon Reames

Snakeheads are hardy enough to survive up to four days on land, and can 'walk' by wriggling on their fins

Wildlife officials in the US are offering prizes for anglers who catch and destroy the so-called "fish from hell", an invasive species that can even "walk" on land.

The snakehead does not have many friends in America - it has even been dubbed "fishzilla" by National Geographic.

It is native to Africa and Asia but is believed to have made its way to the US through Asian seafood merchants.

Since then, the problem species, which can grow to more than two feet long, has devastated the ecosystems of lakes, ponds and streams across the country.

The fish are hardy enough to survive up to four days on land, and can roam up to 400 metres (435 yards) between bodies of water by wriggling on their fins.

In Maryland, environment officials are now offering rewards for fishermen who help purge the pest.

The state will give out fishing store gift cards to the value of £126 and discounts on boat hire, as well as other prizes for catching and killing the fish.

"We do not want snakeheads in our waters," said Don Cosden, from the state's Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

"This initiative is a way to remind anglers that it is important to catch and remove this invasive species of fish."

To enter the contest, anglers must catch, kill and then post a picture of themselves with a dead snakehead caught in Maryland on the DNR's website.

The department's Joe Love added they did not expect snakeheads to be completely eradicated but the scheme aims to control the population.

"The information we gain from the (anglers') reports are also helpful in assessing the abundance, spread and impact of these feisty fish," he said.

It is the second time Maryland has offered rewards for snakeheads - last year, 69 anglers entered the contest, killing 82 of the creatures.


http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16203804

Anglers' fears over killer shrimp on Norfolk Broads

The Broads Authority earlier this month issued a call to water users to help control the spread of the voracious predator dikerogammarus villosus after a few specimens, smaller than a 20p piece, were found at Barton Turf on the edge of Barton Broad.

A working party set up by the authority in co-operation with the Environment Agency and Natural England has now discovered the shrimp in all parts of the broad, along the River Ant and spreading into the River Bure.

John Currie, regional organiser for the Pike Angling Club of Great Britain, said: “We are at the start of something which is going to have an impact on angling and the whole leisure economy.

“We don’t yet know how big that impact will be on the Broads, but we could be in big trouble.”

A spokesman for the Angling Trust described the latest news as a “devastating blow for anglers”.

The authority’s senior ecologist, Andrea Kelly, said the shrimp, which has spread from eastern Europe over the last 15 years, was now top of the Broads Most Wanted list of invasive species threatening its delicate ecosystem.

Read more:  http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/environment/anglers_fears_over_killer_shrimp_on_norfolk_broads_1_1332403