The control and management of Asian carp in North America is an issue that numerous state and federal agencies have been trying work out ever since the first case of Asian carp being in the waterways of North America. Asian carp are a very difficult species of fish to manage and control because of their fast reproduction rate and that there are no predators in the North American waterways to reduce numbers. These fish are damaging native fish's food sources and habitat. More recently, Asian carp are threatening to invade the Great Lakes which would cause drastic economic and ecological problems. The fight for control of Asian carp is an ongoing battle and one that needs to be solved before it's to late.
Introduction
Asian carp are an invasive species of fish from Asia that are causing a current ecological and potential economic problem in North America. This invasive species is inserting itself into almost all of North America's waterways reeking havoc where every it goes. Asian carp are a very fast growing fish that are adaptable to almost any environment. The problems with these fish are that they are causing a large amount of competition for food and habitat between themselves and native fish. This competition ultimately impacts the native freshwater fish population and that in turn affects the very profitable freshwater fish market in the North America. Asian carp also have the ability to jump out of water when being scared from outboard engines. This flight method of theirs can cause serious injury to boats and their equipment. Where population are very dense, jumping Asian carp becomes a very scary and dangerous situation. These Asian carp are a serious nuisance that needs to be dealt with before they invade the Great...
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Works Cited
ACRCC. "Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Commitee." The Problem 2011. Web 18 November 2013. http://www.asiancarp.us/index.htm
Asian Carp. "ASIAN CARP Control Strategy Framework." EBSCO EBook. (2010): 17 November 2013.
Exotic Species. "Exotic Species-- Asian Carp". Great Lakes Fishing Commission 2012. Web. 16 November 2013. http://www.glfc.org/fishmgmt/carp.php
Management and Control Plan "Management and Control Plan for Bighead, Black, Grass, and Silver Carps in the United States." EBSCO EBook. (2007): 18 November 2013.
NWF. Asian Carp Threat to the Great Lakes. National Wildlife Federation 2013. Web. 17 November 2013. http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Invasive-Species/Asian-Carp.aspx
U.S. House of Representitives. Asian Carp Prevention and Conrol Act. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, July 2006.
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One species in particular, the Round Goby (Neogobious Melanostomus), is particularly harmful. This is a freshwater fish that originated from the Europe and Asia area, mostly residing in the Caspian and Black seas. The round goby was most likely introduced into this area by accident. It was brought over by ships traveling in the ocean to the Great lakes region. The first big outbreak of the round goby was found in Lake Michigan, with large amounts now found in Lakes Huron and Erie. Round gobies have only been noticed in the Great Lakes Region since about 1990. By 1994 they were found in many bays and rivers outside of Cleveland. Most of the goby sightings have remained in the Midwest.
The nonnative species of the lionfish, living in tropical waters to depths far below is an unseen threat by first glance. Truth behold, this fish is a serious pest since the first sighting in Dania Beach back in the 1980s. Presently, it has grown out of its bounds and causes harm not only to the sea life but trouble to humans as well. An unmatched appetite with a fast and large reproduction to spawn its species in a matter of only a short time, makes this invasive fish at the top of a sounding alarm. Clever biological adaptations have made this fish a tough fighter to the ecosystem and only in the past few years have we learned to take effective measures to control their population to save our coral reefs.
Since three-forth of the world is composed of bodies of water, it’s natural that a great number of people rely on fishing for their livelyhood or just for their recreation needs. There are numerous of fish species swimming under the lakes, seas, ponds, and rivers. Most anglers consider fishing as the delight in their purpose-driven life, a sport, as they say.
This vegetation also provides much cover for fish. The aquatic plants provide a great source of food supply and act as a nursery for young fish (“Native” par. 5). Vegetation serves many purposes in fish habitat; besides keeping fish safe. It also helps keep the lakes clean. Aquatic plants cycle the water and help absorb pollutants. Another great benefit of these aquatic plants are that they help hold sediment and the banks of the lakes in place while providing oxygen into the water (“Invasive” par. 7-8). Unfortunately invasive species are destroying such vegetation. The Common Carp or “Cyprinus carpio” is one such fish that is causing great damages to lakes all around the world.
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13. Species Summary for Etheostoma nianguae: Niangua darter. Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr,1991. (On-line) http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=3444
The term "Asian carp" has been used to include the species that pose an immediate threat to the wildlife. While the Michigan Department of Natural Resources pose a significant threat to the biological community and recreational opportunities, in the Great Lakes region it is especially concerned with the bighead and silver carp. There are four types of carp known as bighead, black, silver and big head and silver carp can get up to one hundred pounds and grow up to five feet. Black carp can weigh up to one hundred fifty pounds (D’Arcy Eg...
“Summary Report for: Fish and Game Wardens”. O Net Online. 2014.Web. 4 April 2014. >.
Slowly, as the trends continue, we will inevitably see many fish species start to disappear. In fact, the ill-treatment of species on the Canadian border has already devastated a large species, the cod. In the 1950s the Newfoundland Grand Banks was home to a plentitude of cod; early European explorers said,”that if you lowered a basket into the water, cod will fill it to the brim.” It supplied the locals with an item of trade and a source of food.
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Niskern, Diana. Invasive species. Washington, D.C. (101 Independence Ave., S.E.): Science Reference Section, Science, Technology, and Business Division, Library of Congress, 2004.
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If carp were sensitive to its presence and wary of it to any extent then it would have "blown" in much the same manner as a bait would - You would no onger be able to use it on the large majority of waters today.
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