Mosquito-Eating Fish To Be Released In Wyckoff Friday

WYCKOFF, N.J. — A school of Gambusia fish will be released in a township neighborhood Friday to help control the area’s mosquito population.

The fish were slated to be released May 13, but it was postponed to Friday due to inclement weather.

The fish, commonly known as mosquitofish, feed on mosquito larvae. This method of mosquito population control is an environmentally-friendly practice and done where spraying for mosquitos would be impractical, said Alicia D’Alessandro, director of communications for the Bergen County Executive’s Office.

The fish will be released on Demarest Avenue at 1 p.m.

Federal and state health officials previously said that the Zika virus, which is passed from person to person by mosquitos, could be a bigger threat to New Jersey than initially thought.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that mosquitoes that can transit the Zika virus may live in a much larger area than previously thought, extending to all of New Jersey.

There have been 12 travel-related cases of the Zika virus reported in New Jersey, the CDC said, 2 percent of the 503 that have been reported in the United States and its territories since Jan. 1.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com. Sign up for Patch N.J. email newsletters here.