A new invasive species in Ontario waters....Fresh Jellyfish

[mosquito]

Well where do we start, before 1900 we got the starling (destroys alot of young birds and eggs), the common carp (destroys wetlands) then we added the Virginia Opossum, coyote and zebra mussels (we should be familiar with their destruction). Following along were the spiny water fleas, Quaiga mussels, Gobies, Rusty crayfish etc. ... looming ahead are the Asian carps and wild pigs/boar heading north and moving east,.... and the new arrival is a Fresh water jelly fish ...


Freshwater jellyfish spotted in several Muskoka lakes

The MNRF is tracking reports of the invasive species


https://www.muskokaregion.com/commun...muskoka-lakes/





So what do you think is coming next??? Wels Catfish? Snakeheads? (debate on how far north they can spread???), ....

maybe we can introduce some Red deer or Ibex (Spanish or Bezoar) or Chamois into Ontario ..... think anyone would notice???

[fratri]

It should be of no surprise as we live in a global world now. At one point change was slow but with globalization change (including where species live) has become exponential.
There have always been new species being introduced or making their way from one Continent to the other, but.........................before it would just take thousands of years, now it takes hours to get around the planet...

[mastercaster]

Jelly Fish are found in fresh water lakes circling the entire northern hemisphere. I thought I found a new species 15 years ago in Ken Willians Pond on hwy 10. It was millions of jelly fish everywhere. I took some home and looked them up. and it turns out they are everywhere. People rarely see them as they only go into the jelly phase of there life cycle for very short periods. and occasionally there is a flush where millions do it simultaneously em-mass. it only happens for 1/2 a day once every 10 years or so in any given water body, and the chances of anyone spotting it is rare.

MC

[farsider]

Not new. Rarely seen is all.

http://freshwaterjellyfish.org/

Cheers,
Mark

[mosquito]

OK .... let's try putting down more of the article since this appears to be an entirely NEW arrival that is being spread by contaminated water.

https://www.muskokaregion.com/commun...muskoka-lakes/
“They likely entered Ontario on a contaminated boat, other contaminated recreational equipment, or possibly as a contaminant in a shipment of imported aquatic plants,” said Jeff Brinsmead, senior invasive species biologist with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), of freshwater jellyfish, on which the province is collecting data.

According to the MNRF, freshwater jellyfish have been reported in Lake Muskoka and Kahshe Lake (Kilworthy), as well as confirmed sightings in Prospect Lake (Uffington/Vankoughnet), Bala Bay, Otter Lake (Dorset), Pickerel Lake (Burk’s Falls), Restoule Lake, and Doe Lake (Sprucedale).

Brinsmead explained freshwater jellyfish are native to the Yangtze River basin in China. He said they were discovered in Regents Park in London, England, in the late 1800s, “likely introduced as a hitchhiker with imported aquatic plants” and they were found about the same time in Philadelphia, Pa., “presumed to have been released from ballast water.”

According to Brinsmead, it’s not known yet what the impact of the invasive species will be.

...
Anyone who sees a freshwater jellyfish in Ontario can report the suspected sighting through EDDMapS Ontario at eddmaps.org/ontario/report/, by downloading the EDDMapS app on your iPhone or Android device, or by calling the Invading Species Hotline at 1-800-563-7711.




Thankfully the freshwater Jellyfish don't have stingers like the saltwater, I have had snorkelling and diving ruined by the baby jellyfish, they were invisible but their sting was like burning needle. Even in a wetsuit your hands, lips and other small areas are vulnerable and after a few shots to the lips the enthusiasm for being in the water fades fast!

[Woodsman]

Since when is the Virginia Opossum an invasive species?
It is native to the Carolinian Forest which extends into southwestern Ontario.
As winter temperatures have decreased and winter snow depths have dropped they have expanded their range northward. Their population densities have also increased making them a more common sight.

[mosquito]

Since when is the Virginia Opossum an invasive species?
It is native to the Carolinian Forest which extends into southwestern Ontario.
As winter temperatures have decreased and winter snow depths have dropped they have expanded their range northward. Their population densities have also increased making them a more common sight.

It isn't native to Ontario and other than hitch hikers on trains or trucks until just over 50 years ago there was no reproducing population.

This one sums it up best..
http://www.discover-southern-ontario.com/possum.html

The record of their arrival can be seen in the timeline where it showed up after 1969.
https://www.ontarionature.org/discov...s_opossums.pdf

This one talks about one catching a ride to Calgary and there is a good chance they will end up in Victoria someday.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toront...ario-1.3265149

[rf2]

I think I saw one of these freshwater jellyfish last year, but I can't remember exactly which lake it was in. Definitely a local lake (Ottawa/Gatineau area).

[DanO]

I was shocked last summer to find millions of them in our little spring fed cottage lake in the Ottawa Valley near Deep River. I reported them to the invasive species hotline. There is a site that records them and they're all over Ontario. Nobody seems to know what impact they'll have. I bet they aren't good for fish fry or plankton.

[mastercaster]

I think they are in all waterbodies, and people are just hearing about them more with the advent of the internet. I believe they have always been here, and are not invasive.

MC