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.
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.
WARC scientists work with local partners to verify and document sightings of non-native marine fishes.
Below is a list of non-native marine fish species observed or collected in Florida. Each species is linked to a fact sheet with information on identification, biology and ecology. Maps indicate species occurrences linked to USGS-NAS data, which is available for download. Data may be downloaded directly from the map page of a particular species or you can contact Dr. Pam Schofield directly with...
Below are families of non-native marine fish species observed or collected in Florida. Species within each family are linked to a fact sheet with information on identification, biology and ecology. Maps indicate species occurrences linked to USGS-NAS data, which is available for download. Data may be downloaded directly from the map page of a particular species or you can contact Dr. Pam...
Learn which non-native marine fish species have been observed or collected Florida waters.
Fifty fish biologists from 15 organizations participated in a three-day Fish Chat and Slam event in South Florida on November 5-7, 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.
In November 2018, USGS researchers joined partners in South 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.
The Florida apple snail is a critical component of the state's wetland food webs. USGS scientists assess the effects of native and non-native fishes on the native snail populations.
The introduction of non-native fishes is a problem across the United States, particularly in Florida. USGS scientists are developing a decision support tool to help natural resourece managers prioritize which species to focus prevention, detection, rapid response, and control efforts.
The Hunt For The Southernmost Snakehead. Thirty-one fishery biologists from eleven agencies participated in a two-day Fish Slam event. Thirty-five sites in Broward and Miami-Dade counties were sampled for non-native fishes.
Asian swamp eel, Monopterus albus/javanensis [Zuiew, 1973/Lacepede 1800], has been established in the southeastern USA since at least 1994, yet little is known about its ability to survive low winter temperatures. We use standard thermal methodologies to quantify low temperature responses and provide a detailed description of swamp eel...
Saylor, Ryan K.; Schofield, Pam; Bennett, Wayne A Documenting the distribution and composition of non-native species populations can be challenging, especially when species cross jurisdictional boundaries that require interagency coordination. Herein I report the development of three tools that have been used in Florida over the past seven years to assist with tracking of non-native fishes: 1) an...
Schofield, Pamela J. The Trojan Y Chromosome strategy (TYC) is a promising eradication method for biological control of nonnative species. The strategy works by manipulating the sex ratio of a population through the introduction of supermales that guarantee male offspring. In the current study, we compare the TYC method with a pure harvesting strategy. We...
Lyu, Jingjing; Schofield, Pamela J.; Reaver, Kristen; Beauregard, Matthew; Parshad, Rana D. The African Jewelfish, Hemichromis letourneuxi, is an invasive, predatory cichlid fish introduced at least once to Florida. Its native range is in northern Africa. First encountered in Miami in the 1960s, it has since been found west and north within the State of Florida. It thrives in a wide range of aquatic habitats, including shallow,...
Belfiore, Natalia M.; Schofield, Pamela J. Bullseye Snakehead Channa marulius (Hamilton 1822) was first detected in the southern Florida town of Tamarac in 2000 and has been expanding its geographic range since. Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is a newly-developed technique used to noninvasively detect cryptic or low-density species or those that are logistically difficult-to-study....
Hunter, Margaret; Schofield, Pam; Meigs-Friend, Gaia; Brown, Mary; Ferrante, Jason It has been ten years since the last comprehensive assessment of non-native marine fishes in Florida. Herein, we report sightings of 41 species from Florida coastal waters since the earliest reported sighting in 1984. Information is provided on the population status of each species (e.g., established, eradicated, unknown), and our early detection/...
Schofield, Pamela J.; Akins, Lad The proliferation of non-native fishes in Florida is a serious problem, and new species continue to be introduced to the state. Fishes in the Family Cichlidae have been especially successful colonizers of south Florida freshwater habitats. Herein we report a multi-agency effort to eradicate two non-native cichlid fishes in Miami, Florida (Bay...
Schofield, Pamela J.; Jelks, Howard L.; Gestring, Kelly B. An established population of bullseye snakehead (Channa marulius), a large predatory fish from southeastern Asia, was identified for the first time in North America from waters in southeastern Florida, USA, in the year 2000. Since then, it has dispersed throughout the extensive canal system in the area from West Palm Beach south to Miramar....
Benson, Amy J.; Schofield, Pamela J.; Gestring, Kelly B. An important physiological constraint influencing distributions of coastal freshwater organisms is their tolerance for saline conditions. We experimentally evaluated salinity tolerance for three freshwater mussel species (Utterbackia imbecillis, Elliptio jayensis, and Glebula rotundata). Mussels were transferred abruptly from well water to one of...
Johnson, Nathan A.; Schofield, Pamela J.; Williams, James D.; Austin, James D. Temperature is an important factor that shapes biogeography and species composition. In southern Florida, the tolerance of nonnative freshwater fishes to low temperatures is a critical factor in delineating their geographic spread. In this study, we provide empirical information on experimentally derived low-temperature tolerance limits of Banded...
Schofield, Pamela J.; Kline, Jeffrey L. We provide a comprehensive review of the status of non-native fishes in the central Indian River Lagoon (from Cape Canaveral to Grant-Valkaria, east of I-95) through literature review and field surveys. Historical records exist for 17 taxa (15 species, one hybrid, one species complex). We found historical records for one additional species, and...
Schofield, Pamela J.; Loftus, William F.; Reaver, Kristen M. Loricariid catfishes of the genus Pterygoplichthys are native to South America and have been introduced in many localities around the world. They are freshwater fishes, but may also use low-salinity habitats such as estuaries for feeding or dispersal. Here we report results of a field survey and salinity-tolerance experiments for a population of...
Kumar, A. Biju; Schofield, Pamela J.; Raj, Smrithy; Satheesh, Sima
The Fish Slam event discovered two nonnative fish species never seen before in Big Cypress National Preserve.
Fish Marks 36th Non-Native Marine Fish Species Found in State
Genetics and tracking helps USGS researchers learn where the invasive fish are now – and where they may go next.