Florida’s lakes face an invisible war beneath the surface, and the invasive fish blamed for wrecking them is suddenly vanishing. Scientists tracking the species noticed something hunting it far faster than any eradication effort they designed.
Carol Hennessey had been fishing Lake Tohopekaliga, near Kissimmee, Florida, for 19 years when she noticed a shift on a June morning. She launched her bass boat before sunrise and worked the shallow vegetation mats along the south shoreline as usual. By 8 a.m., she had a productive morning, something she had not experienced on that lake in over a decade. Largemouth bass were in her live well, and…