Back in 2001 for New York Sea Grant’s 30th anniversary, we asked Chuck O’Neill to compile a list of “30 Invasive Species to Watch.” Now, ten years later, we asked him what new invasive species are the ones to watch now?

O’Neill put three at the top of his list: a big fish, a shrimp and a single-celled algae.

The Asian carp, long a food staple in China, with its great size and jumping ability is a threat to the Great Lakes ecosystem.

The diatom Didymosphenia geminata creates dense mats that cover the bottoms of streams and rivers and is nicknamed “rock snot” for its gooey appearance.

Then there is the bloody red shrimp, Hemimysis anomala. With NYSG funding, Drs. Lars Rudstam and Brent Boscarino (see photo) of Cornell University have investigated the behavior, physiology, and population dynamics of Hemimysis, to see if this invasive is disrupting the Lake Ontario food web by competing with native invertebrates known as mysids. Their research findings are helping to inform management decisions in the Great Lakes.