Asian species could be “red flag” for ecosystem
A girl in eastern Manitoba discovered dozens of jellyfish swimming in Star Lake at Whiteshell Provincial Park. The girl and her family scooped one up with a jar and brought it to the University of Winnipeg for further investigation. It turned out to be the Craspedacusta sowerbyi, a freshwater jellyfish from China that has been observed in many U.S. states and parts of eastern Canada, but never before in Manitoba. U of W biologist Eva Pip told CBC News that the species may be a “red flag,” for the environment. “It shows how disrupted the ecosystems are now everywhere, and especially freshwater,” said Pip.