Invasive Asian swamp eel: please fill your hovercraft with these pests

Florida's swamps are besieged by these slippery devils, and people are looking for new ideas. An aquatic ecologist (quoted in second article below) is looking for a better eel trap. (Hovercraft optional.)

https://www.fws.gov/media/ecological-risk-screening-summary-asian-swamp-eel-monopterus-albus-high-risk

(...)There are negative impacts of introduced populations documented from peer-reviewed literature for this species, specifically in Florida where significant declines in the abundance of native fishes and decapods were found following the introduction of M. albus. M. albus is regulated in multiple U.S. States. M. albus has also been introduced beyond its native range in Asia and there have been reports of negative economic impacts due to burrowing behavior that has damaged rice fields in the Philippines and Japan. The History of Invasiveness for M. albus is classified as High due to the multiple established nonnative populations that have led to negative impacts.

https://people.com/invasive-asian-swamp-eel-threatens-florida-wildlife-and-ecosystem-12066812

“We have no way to remove this animal from the wetlands,” Florida International University Associate Professor and aquatic ecologist Nathan Dorn said in a March presentation. “If someone wants to come up with a great trap, I’ll try it.”

Dorn’s laboratory, which studies Everglades restoration and focuses on Asian swamp eels, confirmed their discovery at the Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in 2025, noting that the species might have reached the area the year before.

The fish has since taken out a massive portion of the crawfish, frog and small fish populations that Florida’s heralded long-legged wading birds rely on.