Predicting Climate-Driven Invasive Fish Spread to Support Indigenous and State Freshwater Management in Florida

Project Information

Principal Investigator: Wesley M. Daniel (USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center)
Project Start: August 2024
Proposed Project Completion: July 2026
Implements Science Plan Theme:  Topics of Significance to Tribal Nations
Co-Investigators:
E.M. Dean (Cherokee Nation System Solutions)

Cooperator/Partner(s):
Marcel Bozas (Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida)
Sarah Funck (Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission)
McKayla Spencer (Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission)
Kelly Gestring (Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission)

Overview:

Invasive fish species and climate change threaten freshwater ecosystems worldwide. By altering habitat conditions, climate change enables invasive fishes to spread and negatively impact the resilience and value of these ecosystems. The southeastern U.S., a freshwater biodiversity hotspot, faces increasing risks as warming water temperatures and shifting hydrological conditions foster the establishment and spread of invasive species. To conserve freshwater ecosystems, Indigenous and state managers need to understand invasive fish distributions under changing climates to plan effective conservation actions like prevention or eradication.  

The goal of this project is to model the distribution of invasive fish species under a changing climate in river, lake, and wetland ecosystems important to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. The project team will sample invasive freshwater fishes in areas that are likely suitable for the species and use this information to improve the predictive value of the distribution models. The researchers will map the suitability of river, lake, and wetland habitats so that managers can identify vulnerable locations over space and time and implement strategies to prevent or control fish invasions, protecting freshwater ecosystem resilience.