What is the impact of the invasive swamp eels on the Everglades ecosystem?

The invasive swamp eels have caused populations of crayfish and small fish in the Everglades' Taylor Slough to drop by 80%, threatening the food supply for nesting wading birds like ibises and egrets.

How are the swamp eels able to outcompete native predators in the Everglades?

The swamp eels can survive droughts by burrowing into mud and breathing air, allowing them to outlast native fish species. Their resilience and voracious appetite for small aquatic creatures give them a significant advantage over native predators.

What are the wider implications of the swamp eels' invasion of the Everglades?

The disruption of the Everglades' delicate food web by the swamp eels has far-reaching consequences, as healthy wetland ecosystems are crucial for protecting South Florida's water supply, filtering pollution, and buffering communities from flooding.

Home / Environment / Invasive Swamp Eels Reshape Everglades, Endanger Native Species

Invasive Swamp Eels Reshape Everglades, Endanger Native Species

15 Oct

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Summary

Swamp eels detected in South Florida in early 2000s, now spreading
Populations of crayfish and small fish dropped 80% due to eel predation
Prey species crucial for nesting wading birds like ibises and egrets
Eels can survive droughts, outcompete native predators

Invasive Swamp Eels Reshape Everglades, Endanger Native Species

As of October 15th, 2025, researchers have confirmed that invasive swamp eels, first detected in South Florida in the early 2000s, are now spreading through the Everglades wetlands and posing a serious threat to the ecosystem. Recent studies led by scientists at Florida International University have revealed that in Taylor Slough, a vital Everglades marsh, populations of crayfish and small fish have dropped by a staggering 80% due to predation from these snake-like fish.

These prey species are crucial for nesting wading birds like ibises and egrets, and their decline is unraveling the delicate food web that Everglades restoration projects have spent decades and billions of dollars trying to preserve. "This is not something that we think is a normal phenomenon," said Nathan Dorn, an FIU aquatic ecologist. "It's a really novel predator with some novel traits and it's a new sort of loss factor for our fish in the system."