Invasive fish that can survive out of water found in Canada, alarming scientists
An invasive species of fish that can live out of water for short periods of time and can carry dangerous pathogens has been found in Eastern Canada, alarming experts.
The Oriental Weatherfish was discovered in a Nova Scotia waterway and confirmed by the Department of Oceans Canada last month. The Nova Scotia Invasive Species Council said in a May 16 statement that the discovery was thanks to a person who spotted the eel-like fish and reported it to authorities.
The council said this is the first time the invasive species has been seen in the Maritimes region − which includes Canada's New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
More: 'Put them on the menu': Americans should eat more of these invasive animals, officials say
"Oriental Weatherfish pose a significant threat when introduced to native ecosystems," the council said in its social media post. "They reduce aquatic insect biodiversity, compete with native fish species for food and spawning habitat, and are known to carry parasites and pathogens that are harmful to both wildlife and humans."
The fish is a common aquarium species, and experts believe it was introduced into the ecosystem when it was illegally released into the wild. Officials told CBC that a single egg-bearing fish was found in the Morgan Falls fishway of LeHave River near New Germany, a village in Nova Scotia.
More: Fire ants evolve into a fearsome hybrid: 'Anything can really happen'
Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, also called a pond loach, averages 3 to 7 inches in length but has been measured up to 11 inches long, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. They're native to Eastern Asia, found from Siberia to northern Vietnam, including Japan, and can survive for short periods of time without water.
The fish uses its intestine as an accessory respiratory organ to breathe air, enabling it to live in oxygen-poor waters and bury itself in muddy or silty environments to survive long droughts. Scientists who have studied the species found it can "withstand desiccation and starvation for more than 81 days," USGS says, making it very tolerant to extreme conditions.
Though native to Asia, the invasive species has been found in over a dozen states across the U.S., including Hawaii.
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
7 hours ago
- Boston Globe
The government cuts key data used in hurricane forecasting, and experts sound an alarm
NOAA spokesperson Kim Doster, in a statement, called it a 'routine process of data rotation and replacement' and said that the remaining data sources 'are fully capable of providing a complete set of cutting-edge data and models that ensure the gold-standard weather forecasting the American people deserve.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Traditional visible or infrared satellites provide data that becomes images showing the structure, intensity and temperature of a storm, according to NOAA information, along with features such as lightning. But those miss the three-dimensional details of a storm. The microwave data gives critical information that can't be gleaned from the conventional satellites, and helps peer under a regular image of a hurricane or a tropical cyclone to see what is going on inside of it. It is especially helpful at night. Advertisement The news is especially noteworthy during the ongoing hurricane season and as lesser storms have become more frequent, deadly and costly as climate change is worsened by the burning of fossil fuels. Advertisement Microwave imagery allows researchers and forecasters to see the center of the storm. Experts say that can help in detecting the rapid intensification of storms and in more accurately plotting the likely path of dangerous weather. 'If a hurricane, let's say, is approaching the Gulf Coast, it's a day away from making landfall, it's nighttime,' said Union of Concerned Scientists science fellow Marc Alessi. 'We will no longer be able to say, OK, this storm is definitely undergoing rapid intensification, we need to update our forecasts to reflect that.' Other microwave data will be available but only roughly half as much, hurricane specialist Michael Lowry said in a blog post. He said that greatly increases the odds that forecasters will miss rapid intensification, underestimate intensity or misplace the storm. That 'will severely impede and degrade hurricane forecasts for this season and beyond, affecting tens of millions of Americans who live along its hurricane-prone shorelines,' he said. University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy called the loss of data 'alarmingly bad news' in a post on Bluesky. 'Microwave data are already relatively sparse, so any loss — even gradual as satellites or instruments fail — is a big deal; but to abruptly end three active functioning satellites is insanity.' NOAA and its National Weather Service office have been the target of several cuts and changes in President Donald Trump's second term. The Department of Government Efficiency gutted the agency's workforce, local field offices and funding. Already, hurricane forecasts were anticipated to be less accurate this year because weather balloons launches have been curtailed because of the lack of staffing. Advertisement 'What happened this week is another attempt by the Trump administration to sabotage our weather and climate infrastructure,' Alessi said.
USA Today
14 hours ago
- USA Today
Invasive fish that can survive out of water found in Canada, alarming scientists
An invasive species of fish that can live out of water for short periods of time and can carry dangerous pathogens has been found in Eastern Canada, alarming experts. The Oriental Weatherfish was discovered in a Nova Scotia waterway and confirmed by the Department of Oceans Canada last month. The Nova Scotia Invasive Species Council said in a May 16 statement that the discovery was thanks to a person who spotted the eel-like fish and reported it to authorities. The council said this is the first time the invasive species has been seen in the Maritimes region − which includes Canada's New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. More: 'Put them on the menu': Americans should eat more of these invasive animals, officials say "Oriental Weatherfish pose a significant threat when introduced to native ecosystems," the council said in its social media post. "They reduce aquatic insect biodiversity, compete with native fish species for food and spawning habitat, and are known to carry parasites and pathogens that are harmful to both wildlife and humans." The fish is a common aquarium species, and experts believe it was introduced into the ecosystem when it was illegally released into the wild. Officials told CBC that a single egg-bearing fish was found in the Morgan Falls fishway of LeHave River near New Germany, a village in Nova Scotia. More: Fire ants evolve into a fearsome hybrid: 'Anything can really happen' Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, also called a pond loach, averages 3 to 7 inches in length but has been measured up to 11 inches long, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. They're native to Eastern Asia, found from Siberia to northern Vietnam, including Japan, and can survive for short periods of time without water. The fish uses its intestine as an accessory respiratory organ to breathe air, enabling it to live in oxygen-poor waters and bury itself in muddy or silty environments to survive long droughts. Scientists who have studied the species found it can "withstand desiccation and starvation for more than 81 days," USGS says, making it very tolerant to extreme conditions. Though native to Asia, the invasive species has been found in over a dozen states across the U.S., including Hawaii. Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@ and on X @KathrynPlmr.
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Vital hurricane satellites to go dark weeks into Atlantic storm season— and NOAA rips media for causing panic
Vital hurricane-tracking satellites are expected to go dark just weeks into the Atlantic storm season — and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is pointing fingers at the media for fueling panic behind the shutdown while clarifying that crucial data will still be gathered. The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), jointly owned by NOAA and the Department of Defense and responsible for critical collecting environmental and weather data, will cease operations Monday amid a string of federal cuts to the administration, the agency announced Wednesday. 'The service change and termination will be permanent,' officials stated in the announcement without providing a reason for ending the crucial service or information about a possible replacement. Advertisement 4 A NOAA spokesperson clarified that a microwave instrument on another satellite will still provide crucial readings. REUTERS A NOAA spokesperson, however, was quick to cast blame on newscasters for 'criticizing' scientists and reporting the service change in a way that could incite public outrage — later clarifying that a microwave instrument on another satellite will still provide crucial readings. 'The DMSP is a single dataset in a robust suit of hurricane forecasting and modeling tools in the NWS portfolio, which also includes microwave sensing data via the recently launched WSF-M satellite, which was the planned replacement for the DPSM program,' Kim Doster told The Post Friday. Advertisement 'The routine process of data rotation and replacement would go unnoticed in past administrations, but the media is insistent on criticizing the great work that NOAA and its dedicated scientists perform every day.' 4 A meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center monitors weather patterns. AFP via Getty Images Despite the terse explanation, experts remain concerned that limited data will hinder efforts to track hurricanes, detect changes in storm structure, and accurately predict a storm's path in real-time. Forecasters depend on polar-orbiting satellites equipped with microwave sensors to track winds speeds and other data connected to intensifying tropical storms and hurricanes — especially at night when other observation methods are limited. Advertisement 'This is an incredibly big hit for hurricane forecasts, and for the tens of millions of Americans who live in hurricane-prone areas,' Michael Lowry, a hurricane specialist in South Florida, told the New York Times. 4 While the military satellites with remain in orbit, their data will not longer be processed by the federal government. REUTERS 'The nightmare scenario is going to bed with a tropical storm and waking up to a hurricane,' he added, explaining that soon-to-be suspended satellite streams are key to preventing a jarring 'sunrise surprise.' With microwave observations also allow meteorologists to locate a storm's center, Lowry warned that being off by even a few miles can have 'huge ramifications.' Advertisement While the military satellites with remain in orbit, their data will not longer be processed by the federal government. 4 NOAA logo on a blue and white surface. AFP /AFP via Getty Images 'We don't want to have less data for no reason,' Andy Hazelton, a hurricane modeling expert at the University of Miami, told the outlet. 'We already don't get as much microwave data as we'd like to see operationally.' The news of the program's suspension came just two days after Tropical Storm Andrea, the first named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, formed in the central Atlantic Ocean Tuesday morning. Hurricane season typically lasts through the end of November. The White House and Department of Defense did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.
