Layer's+Pleco+Problem

= Layer's Pleco Problem  = = = =Layer has discovered that a species of fish called a plecostomus is living in our pond. Does this fish help or hurt the environment? What do you already know? What have you observed? Analyze your field data and additional research.= = = =Thoughts, comments, discoveries....=

=**Our local expert: Adam Charlton**= Plecos are native to the Pacific slope of Costa Rica and both slopes of Panama, southward to Uruguay. They are primarily algae eaters and they are active mainly at night. There is no evidence that they have negative impacts on other native fishes. However, I do believe if they reach a high enough density they could disrupt food webs by depleting beneficial algae. Spawning occurs between April and September in Florida and females typically lay around 2,000 eggs in shoreline burrows, holes, or crevices. One of their negative impacts is their ability to undermine shoreline areas of ponds and lakes. This also creates habitat for native fish, so it’s tough to call it a completely negative impact.  A cast net is the only way I know to catch them. You might be able to pull a large seine around the edge of the pond. Their skin is extremely rough and abrasive, so you might have to go through a few cast nets. You might consider wearing gloves if you’re going to handle very many of them.  You can find a special place for the ones you collect. Placing them in a cooler of ice does the trick, humanely. Don’t throw them into the woods before icing them or killing them, as they can live for quite some time on land and will most likely crawl to Lake Jessup. More plecos will come through the fence to the pond over time. During high water or high rainfall events, they move across land in search of new water bodies with abundant food resources. The chain link fence will limit the size of new comers.

