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Invasive Fish

An invasive species is an introduced species that has established itself and threatens the diversity and/or stability of a native species or environment. WARC researches the basic biology and environmental tolerances of these plant and animal species to provide resource managers with the ecological facts they need to help mitigate and control these problematic species. This work includes invasive fishes like the lionfish and Asian carp.
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Male Midas cichlid

Fish Slam May 2023

Fish Slam events link research institutions such as museums and universities with federal, state, and local government agencies that possess expertise and field equipment to collect nonnative fishes, providing unique access to specimens for these institutions.
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Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
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Fish Slam May 2023

Fish Slam events link research institutions such as museums and universities with federal, state, and local government agencies that possess expertise and field equipment to collect nonnative fishes, providing unique access to specimens for these institutions.
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Midas cichlids captured during the November 2019 Fish Slam

Fish Chat and Slam December 2022

Fifty-seven fish biologists from 12 organizations participated in a three-day Fish Chat and Slam event in South Florida.
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Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
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Fish Chat and Slam December 2022

Fifty-seven fish biologists from 12 organizations participated in a three-day Fish Chat and Slam event in South Florida.
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Mayan cichlid

Southwest Florida Fish Slam – Spring 2022

Forty-two fish biologists from seven organizations participated in a two-day Spring Fish Slam event in southwest Florida. Fourteen species of non-native fishes were collected or observed.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Land Management Research Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
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Southwest Florida Fish Slam – Spring 2022

Forty-two fish biologists from seven organizations participated in a two-day Spring Fish Slam event in southwest Florida. Fourteen species of non-native fishes were collected or observed.
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Mayan cichlid, Mayaheros urophthalmus

Virtual Fish Slam - March 2021

In March 2021, USGS researchers and partners conducted the first-ever Virtual Fish Slam. The bi-annual Fish Slam event helps monitor new introductions and document range expansion of known non-native freshwater fishes.
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Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
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Virtual Fish Slam - March 2021

In March 2021, USGS researchers and partners conducted the first-ever Virtual Fish Slam. The bi-annual Fish Slam event helps monitor new introductions and document range expansion of known non-native freshwater fishes.
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Blotched foxface rabbitfish (Siganus unimaculatus)

Early Detection and Rapid Response: Removal of Newly Introduced Non-native Marine Fishes to Prevent Invasions

USGS WARC works with partners on early detection and rapid response (ED/RR) efforts, rapidly removing newly introduced non-native marine fishes from Florida’s coastal waters to prevent invasions.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
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Early Detection and Rapid Response: Removal of Newly Introduced Non-native Marine Fishes to Prevent Invasions

USGS WARC works with partners on early detection and rapid response (ED/RR) efforts, rapidly removing newly introduced non-native marine fishes from Florida’s coastal waters to prevent invasions.
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Lionfish are spreading through the Western North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico

Non-native Marine Fishes: Tracking Distributions with the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

WARC scientists work with local partners to verify and document sightings of non-native marine fishes.
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Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
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Non-native Marine Fishes: Tracking Distributions with the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

WARC scientists work with local partners to verify and document sightings of non-native marine fishes.
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Barton, Fair, Markovich, and Gestring

Fish Chat and Slam November 2019

Fifty fish biologists from 15 organizations participated in a three-day Fish Chat and Slam event in South Florida on November 5-7, 2019.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Land Management Research Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
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Fish Chat and Slam November 2019

Fifty fish biologists from 15 organizations participated in a three-day Fish Chat and Slam event in South Florida on November 5-7, 2019.
Learn More
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Antimycin A structure

Comparative Freshwater Fish Toxicity Testing of Antimycin A

Researchers are investigating the influence of Antimycin A on invasive carp and non-target fishes by measuring the effects of a novel species-specific bait formulation.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
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Comparative Freshwater Fish Toxicity Testing of Antimycin A

Researchers are investigating the influence of Antimycin A on invasive carp and non-target fishes by measuring the effects of a novel species-specific bait formulation.
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Mayan cichlid

Treasure Coast and Central Florida Fish Slams - 2019

In March and June 2019, USGS researchers joined partners in Treasure Coast and Central Florida where they sampled freshwater bodies for non-native fishes. The bi-annual Fish Slam event helps monitor new introductions and document range expansion of known non-native fishes.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
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Treasure Coast and Central Florida Fish Slams - 2019

In March and June 2019, USGS researchers joined partners in Treasure Coast and Central Florida where they sampled freshwater bodies for non-native fishes. The bi-annual Fish Slam event helps monitor new introductions and document range expansion of known non-native fishes.
Learn More
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Live Asian carp on display in a U.S. food market

Survey and Assessment of Live Food Markets as an Invasion Pathway

Live food markets may be a source of the increasing number of non-native wild invertebrate and fish species, like Asian swamp eels and snakeheads. USGS is surveying such markets around the United States to identify and document species that might be of concern if released live into the wild to assess if the live food market is a possible invasion pathway.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
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Survey and Assessment of Live Food Markets as an Invasion Pathway

Live food markets may be a source of the increasing number of non-native wild invertebrate and fish species, like Asian swamp eels and snakeheads. USGS is surveying such markets around the United States to identify and document species that might be of concern if released live into the wild to assess if the live food market is a possible invasion pathway.
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ARM map of starry stonewort (Nitellopsis obtusa) sighting in Medicine Lake in Minnesota on August 3rd, 2018

The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Alert Risk Mapper (ARM)

The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) program has developed a new tool, the NAS Alert Risk Mapper (ARM), to characterize waterbodies in the conterminous U.S. and Hawaii at potential risk of invasion from a new nonindigenous species sighting.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
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The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Alert Risk Mapper (ARM)

The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) program has developed a new tool, the NAS Alert Risk Mapper (ARM), to characterize waterbodies in the conterminous U.S. and Hawaii at potential risk of invasion from a new nonindigenous species sighting.
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Initial NAS FaST map of potential spread of coqui frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui) from flooding associated with Hurricane Lane.

The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Flood and Storm Tracker (FaST)

Storm-related flooding can lead to the potential spread of nonindigenous (or non-native) aquatic species into waterways they have not been seen in before. The USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species program has developed an innovative mapping tool to help natural resource managers with post-storm nonindigenous aquatic species detection and assessment efforts.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Hurricanes
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The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Flood and Storm Tracker (FaST)

Storm-related flooding can lead to the potential spread of nonindigenous (or non-native) aquatic species into waterways they have not been seen in before. The USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species program has developed an innovative mapping tool to help natural resource managers with post-storm nonindigenous aquatic species detection and assessment efforts.
Learn More