Asian swamp eels spread in the Everglades. ‘Potentially the worst species we’ve had yet’
Photo by Mark Jacquez on Unsplash

For a crayfish in the Florida Everglades, its worst nightmare is three feet long, dark brown and pure muscle, with a mouth like a vacuum that sucks up nearly everything it can find — tiny fish, small shellfish, turtle eggs and frogs. It’s called the Asian swamp eel. And while Floridians may be more used to seeing it grilled and doused in a sweet sticky sauce in sushi rolls, the slippery beasts have become an increasingly problematic invasive species in the delicate Everglades ecosystem. While these eels have been a presence in certain pockets of the park for decades, a newly released paper pub...