Once labeled invasive, 'rock snot' algae now deemed native (Update) 21 June 2016, by Lisa Rathke A type of algae called "rock snot" that was thought Bothwell, who has been studying didymo since 1993 to be an invasive species in the Northeast is and gave a talk in Vermont last fall, said the only actually native to the northern United States, demonstrated cause of blooms is due to low researchers have concluded. phosphorus levels in waterways. He and another researcher hypothesize that phospshorus is The aquatic algae, Didymosphenia geminata, has declining in rivers due to climatic warming and caused massive blooms in some U.S. rivers. nitrogen-enriched soils, leading to more frequent Fishermen spotted it in rivers in Vermont in 2007, blooms. sparking alarm. After Tropical Storm Irene inundated Vermont in To fight the spread of rock snot and other 2011, fish were removed from the White River organisms, Vermont and about a half dozen other National Fish Hatchery in Bethel out of concerns states banned the use of felt-soled waders by that they may be exposed to didymo or pathogens. anglers. But officials now say Vermont will lift its ban next month, apparently the first state to do so. Mary Russ, executive director of the nonprofit White River Partnership, said the group is The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife said disappointed that Vermont is lifting its ban on felt- scientists discovered that the algae's spores were soled waders, which she said can transport other present in many Vermont rivers and can cause organisms. nuisance algae blooms under certain conditions. "We were thinking that it was a good management "The fact that we had a ban on something to avoid strategy," she said. spreading something that was already where we didn't want it to be spread didn't make any sense," While the waders may be used again on July 1, the said state biologist Shawn Good. Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is urging anglers and others to clean and dry all equipment The algae, also known as didymo, are native to after leaving any body of water and before going to northern North America, Europe, and Asia, but another one to prevent the spread of aquatic research in recent years has shown that they are invasive species that can sicken fish. also indigenous to the northern United States, scientists say. © 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. It attaches to rocks in river bottoms and has been described as resembling a sewage spill. It prefers pristine, low nutrient rivers. In its early stages, it forms nubby brown growths on rocks and later develops a woolly texture. Algae blooms aren't new, but they seem to be happening more frequently in certain places and are more noticeable than they were historically, said Max Bothwell a research scientist with Environment Canada in British Columbia, who had initially suggested that anglers were spreading it. 1 / 2 APA citation: Once labeled invasive, 'rock snot' algae now deemed native (Update) (2016, June 21) retrieved 25 September 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2016-06-invasive-snot-algae-deemed- native.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. 2 / 2 Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org).