Four years ago, I wrote an in-depth story about “rock snot,” an invasive, ecologically damaging species of algae that threatened to spread from New York state into New Jersey.
Well, rock snot has spread with a vengeance in the Delaware River, reaching as far south as the Dingman’s Ferry Bridge area so far, according to a Delaware River Basin Commission statement.
Didymosphenia geminata, AKA didymo, does not threaten public health, according to the statement. But its thick mats can crowd out or smother other algae growing on the riverbed, altering the ecosystem.
Rock snot can also latch onto fishing equipment, especially felt-soled boots, and spread into nearby streams or rivers, according to the statement.
The state Department of Environmental Protection first warned about the rock snot threat in 2008.
If you go fishing or boating in the Delaware this year, you can and should take steps to try limit the rock snot invasion.