Lake Needwood Invasive Spawns Parks Department Funding

The discovery of an invasive species of clownfish in Lake Needwood has led to an emergency Montgomery County Council resolution to restore full funding to Montgomery Parks in the county's proposed 2026 budget.

In a late-night session dominated by fiery self-aggrandizing speeches, the Council voted 10:1 to raise the parks department budget by 4.2 million over County Executive Marc Elrich's proposal, plus added 6.2 million to fund "the humane capture and compassionate relocation of Falsehair clownfish caught in Montgomery County."

The Falsehair clownfish (Tarifwaria chikenouta) is an aggressive carnivore native to Florida that exhausts its prey with an unrelenting barrage of attacks and retreats. Anglers caught the first in Lake Needwood in January and dozens more were reported by March.

"National invasives are Montgomery County invasives, and I ask you to vote with me in standing up against these harmful attacks on our fishes, on our turtles, and on the fabric of our creeks and ponds," Councilmember Evan Glass implored.

Since their emergence in 2016 in the brackish Intercoastal waterway near Palm Beach, the Falsehair clownfish has wiped out every native species except the Hypostomus plecostomus, also known as the Suckermouth catfish. "We have a significant population of Suckermouths in western Montgomery who are relatively docile, and preventing their isolation with the clownfish is essential to keeping them that way," said Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe.

Council President Kate Stewart threw her support behind bolstering Montgomery Parks budget by 6.2 million more after a portion of the fund was earmarked for mental health programs "to support traumatized sunfish, red-eared sliders, and Parks department employees."

The lone dissenting vote for funding to battle the invasive came from Councilmember Natali Fani-González, who argued, "Montgomery County parks should be welcoming spaces that embrace biodiversity."

In a statement released this morning, Montgomery Parks officials thanked the Council and said Falsehair clownfish relocation will begin immediately after a 270-day study “to determine the most compassionate capture and resettlement strategies.”