Fox News
Expand
Browse All Video
Watch Live

You're watching...

'Armored catfish' invading Florida

Details

  • Description

    Negative impact on land

  • Duration 2:52
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

Latest Tech

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance
View All

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

And invasive species of catfish.

Is wreaking Havoc on South Florida.

The so called armored catfish is not native to that state -- -- south American fish but -- is making its presence felt in this country.

Causing erosion and sometimes dangerous conditions.

Inside some of the lakes of Florida.

Jeff hill is an assistant professor of the university of Florida's institute for food and agricultural sciences.

He's joining us now live from Tampa.

Jeff -- aquarium owners might know this fish right.

Oh absolutely this is well known in the court and -- it's will traded in the US and other countries.

Border raises about twenty to thirty million -- these every year.

In -- ship to -- -- with a -- plea gives plea goes yet they they don't column armored -- -- but they really are basically armored right.

They they are armored would you like to see you want I would love to see you want I would kill that -- that.

You you brought one in a cooler and people should know you're not necessarily being cruel to just finish because they're pretty hard hit -- They're very hardy this is a fish that breeze there so is no problem with a B now the water.

Doesn't have a mucus layer Eumig.

Take golf fits very very tough fish peanuts gut.

This underneath the soccer mouth.

And that saw how it -- And that's how -- there and people are used to seeing them cleaning the the algae off aquarium.

Off aquarium walls and bottoms right.

That that's exactly what they're used for the lead out do -- -- the organic material in the bottom of the lakes are pondering your aquarium.

And that's why people.

Have them here in this country so they're great for cleaning and aquarium but they're not so great when we wind up in Florida -- tell us why.

Well the the big issue in terms of the impact of this piece you really an economic issue.

They -- NASA males do.

In to the banks -- ponds -- canals.

That they they make that -- the female lays her eggs in that -- the -- guards and the girls can be a couple -- long they can be 45 feet long.

And they can exacerbate erosion they can -- corrosion local spots and if you have a lot of expensive real -- like we do itself -- then there's some spots localized but some important spots where these fish.

Have call some erosion -- lose some property.

Well Jeff feels so if you're if you're walking along the edge of one of those -- you don't -- -- wind up.

Stick in my room stick and an ankle are breaking an ankle in one of those girls Jeff hill we'll let you get that thing back in the water now but occurred what.

What I shot and don't let those things go if you have an aquarium down in Florida don't let him go in the in the -- because it's not good for the environment okay thanks Jeff.

Load More