Nuisance Species Found in the West Branch Farmington River

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that a highly invasive freshwater alga, Didymosphenia geminate, known as “didymo”, has been discovered in the West Branch Farmington River in northwestern Connecticut. The presence of didymo was first confirmed in the northeastern United States in 2007 and it has since spread to a number of northeastern states, including New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. This is the first report of didymo in Connecticut. DEP provides more details on its website, as well as information on how boaters and fishers can minimize the spread of didymo and other invasive species.