An invasive plant is threatening a once-bustling fishing lake in southwest England, leaving local anglers scrambling to save the waterway before it's too late.
What started as a few patches of green had become a thick carpet by late September that was clogging Peatmoor Lake, the BBC reported, and with it the fish, wildlife and community that rely on it.
What happens?
Peatmoor Angling Club in West Swindon was forced to cancel its games after an aggressive species called Canadian pondweed (Elodea canadensis) took over the lake. The plant, which spreads quickly and reduces oxygen levels, has covered the surface and made fishing nearly impossible.
Volunteers worked nonstop to clean the water and used oxygen equipment to keep the fish alive.
“In a way it's like fighting a losing battle,” club member Ted Rowe, who has been fishing Peatmoor for eight years, told the BBC. “We spent two or three days there and now when we go to certain areas it looks like we haven't touched it.”
The invasion is so severe that even the lake's usual bird populations have completely disappeared.
“Tons of it, and right now you can’t even see a duck, there’s nothing here,” angler Sean Enevoldsen said.
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Why is this takeover of invasive species concerning?
Invasive aquatic plants such as Canadian pondweed can destroy freshwater ecosystems. By outcompeting native vegetation for sunlight and nutrients, they disrupt the delicate balance that supports fish, insects and birds. As weeds decompose, they deprive the water of oxygen, suffocating aquatic life and accelerating biodiversity decline.
These ecological changes also pose broader risks: degraded lakes can impact local economies associated with recreation and tourism, contaminate drinking water sources, and make subsequent restoration of natural habitats more expensive. Once an invasive species like this takes hold, recovery can take years or may never be complete without intervention.
What is being done to stop the pondweed takeover?
To contain the outbreak, the Peatmoor Angling Club launched a community fundraising campaign to purchase £5,000 (about $6,600) worth of specialist equipment designed to remove invasive pondweed from the lake. Volunteers spend hours each day manually cleaning the water and running oxygen pumps to keep the fish alive.
Although the work was slow, their efforts prevented the ecosystem from completely collapsing while they waited for more effective tools.
By mid-October, it appeared the fundraiser had reached its original goal.
Across the UK, similar grassroots efforts combine community action with conservation science to stop invasive plants before they take over. Programs like the Environmental Protection Agency's Check Clean Dry campaign encourage anglers and boaters to wash their gear between waters to prevent invasive plants from spreading undetected.
Efforts like these help protect native species, maintain healthy habitats, and protect the local waters communities rely on.
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