Invasive species, helped by Hurricane Ian, have expanded their range in Florida: USGS

Chad Gillis, Fort Myers News-Press
Updated ·3 min read

Hurricane Ian smashed Southwest Florida nearly a year ago, and the region hasn't been the same since.

And the impacts extend beyond the obvious human tolls as the storm likely pushed dozens of invasive species into new areas of Southwest Florida, according to a United State Geological Survey, or USGS, report released last week.

So, dreadful critters like the poisonous cane toad now have a much broader range, new areas to torment and haunt.

Plants that have clogged waterways and choked off access to native species are flourishing in new places, further putting a clamp on native wildlife.

"When invasive species spread into new areas, there can be environmental, economic and human health effects that can cost the U.S. billions of dollars," a USGS website reads. "Due to the importance of the issue, farmers, ranchers, businesses, and Tribal and government officials are working to mitigate the threats these invaders pose."

The Fort Myers-Cape Coral area was already a hotspot for invasive species. Now those species have been flushed out to new areas and relatively pristine areas ― like Charlotte Harbor, Ten Thousand Islands and Everglades National Park.

Cane toad expansion

The infamous cane toad was pushed into some of Southwest Florida’s most pristine preserves.

Imported by the agriculture industry in the 1950s with the hopes of eradicating pests, cane taoads have spread from the fields and into urban areas.

A non native cane toad is documented by FGCU researchers and volunteers off of Three Oaks Parkway on Wednesday June 16, 2021. A USGS report suggests that the species expanded its range in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
A non native cane toad is documented by FGCU researchers and volunteers off of Three Oaks Parkway on Wednesday June 16, 2021. A USGS report suggests that the species expanded its range in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

Now they’re likely in the Florida Panther National Wildlife Preserve, the Ten Thousand Islands National Preserve, the Big Cypress National preserve and Everglades National Park.

Water hyacinth on the move

It's not just fish and reptiles that have an expanded range post-Ian.

Many plants, as well, were carried from their former range and into new territory.

This image shows cattails and water hyacinth, one of the most damaging invasive plants in Florida. The USGS says water hyacinth expanded its range after Hurricane Ian.
This image shows cattails and water hyacinth, one of the most damaging invasive plants in Florida. The USGS says water hyacinth expanded its range after Hurricane Ian.

Water hyacinth is one of the most prolific and damaging invasive plants in Florida, and the USGS report shows the plant moving into Sanibel and Charlotte Harbor and south and into Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge and coastal Everglades National Park.

Apple snails … and when invasive species help

An invasive apple snail was already established in much of the Caloosahatchee watershed, Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, Estero Bay and Bonita Springs. But Hurricane Ian may have pushed the invasive species up into Charlotte Harbor, to Sanibel and south toward Naples.

The storm was so powerful it may have pushed the snails all the way to Lake Okeechobee, according to the report.

Invasive apple snails, though, can be a good food source for the endangered Everglades snail kite.

A male snail kite takes flight in search of a meal along a drainage ditch along Corkscrew Road near the new Verdana Village development in Estero on Aug.15, 2022. This bird has expanded in numbers in recent years due to the presence of an invasive apple snail, which likely expanded its range with the help of Hurricane Ian.
A male snail kite takes flight in search of a meal along a drainage ditch along Corkscrew Road near the new Verdana Village development in Estero on Aug.15, 2022. This bird has expanded in numbers in recent years due to the presence of an invasive apple snail, which likely expanded its range with the help of Hurricane Ian.

These kites feed on native apple snails, which have declined greatly in recent decades.

The invasive snail is so prolific that it's helped grow snail kite numbers, making it an odd ally on the road to recovery.

Look out for armored catfish

The dreaded armored catfish has been found in downtown Fort Myers, on Sanibel and in Bonita Springs and Naples.

Hurricane Ian likely pushed the fish into the Charlotte Harbor area, as well as the eastern portion of the Caloosahatchee River watershed.

Canh Nguyen cast-nets along the lower part of the Kissimmee River near Avon Park. He casts for armored catfish which he sells to a market. The armored catfish likely expanded its range with the help of Hurricane Ian, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Canh Nguyen cast-nets along the lower part of the Kissimmee River near Avon Park. He casts for armored catfish which he sells to a market. The armored catfish likely expanded its range with the help of Hurricane Ian, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The USGS map also shows the armored catfish, post Ian, moving down to Marco Island and further south ― to the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge and coastal Everglades National Park and into Florida Bay.

A walking fish?

The walking catfish, too, was likely pushed into Charlotte Harbor and toward North Port and Englewood.

It was also flushed east, to the upper, freshwater portions of the Caloosahatchee River.

More: How are Southwest Florida sea turtles doing a season after Hurricane Ian?

Walking catfish are called "walking" fish because they use their fins to shift back and forth when out of the water and on land.

The fish's movements give the appearance that it's walking, hence the name.

Connect with this reporter: Chad Gillis on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida invasive animals, plants increased their range after Ian