Establishment And Dispersal Of A Reproducing Population Of Amphipnous Cuchia In Bayou St. John, New Orleans, Louisiana

Details

• Personal Author:
  Rodrigues, Victoria ; Jordan, Frank
• Corporate Authors:
  Louisiana Sea Grant College Program ; Loyola University (New Orleans, La.)
• NOAA Program & Office:
  Sea Grant ; OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research)
• Sea Grant Program:
  LSU (Louisiana Sea Grant)
• Description:
  Cuchia (Amphipnous cuchia) is a species of obligate air-breathing Synbranchiform eel
  
  native to Southeast Asia that was discovered in Bayou St. John in New Orleans in June 2019. We
  
  studied the invasion dynamics of this recently introduced species during the past two years by
  
  quantifying distribution and abundance at ten sites throughout Bayou St. John, three sites in City
  
  Park, and two nearby sites in Lake Pontchartrain. Sampling methods included dip netting,
  
  seining, removal and inspection of littoral vegetation, throw trapping, and deployment of leaf
  
  packs and minnow traps. We collected several age and size classes of Cuchia in both 2019 and
  
  2020. Presence of young-of-year during both years indicates this is the first reported reproducing
  
  population established in the United States. Distribution has increased modestly in Bayou St.
  
  John during the past two years, but Cuchia have not yet been detected in the lagoons of City Park
  
  or nearby sites in Lake Pontchartrain. Laboratory experiments indicate that young-of-year are
  
  tolerant of salinities typical of the Lake Pontchartrain Estuary. Range expansion into the Lake
  
  Pontchartrain Estuary and potentially the Mississippi River Basin is of concern because Cuchia
  
  is an opportunistic predator that is difficult to control or eradicate because it is resistant to
  
  ichthyotoxins and occupies vegetated and fossorial habitats that are extremely difficult to
  
  sample. Data on abundance, distribution and ecology of Cuchia will help inform methods for
  
  future management and monitoring.
  
  
• Keywords:
  Amphipnous Cuchia Data Distribution Ecology Field Sampling Population Abundance Amphipnous Cuchia Field Sampling Population Abundance
• Document Type:
  Technical Report
• Place as Subject:
  Saint John, Bayou (Orleans Parish, La.)
• Rights Information:
  Public Domain
• Compliance:
  Submitted
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:7af402699696fb2751160e65feb9a1caf92115b64ada45a63dfabe61e5b90335
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/39753/noaa_39753_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 5.56 MB ]