In 1831, Asian carp were brought over as a delicacy. Asian carp are originally from Asia (Barbara A. Somervill 13). They were imported by catfish farmers in 1963 for federal research on controlling aquatic vegetation. In 1966, the first Asian carp had escaped into Arkansas waters. By 1970, grass carp we're being stocked in Arkansas waters to help with over vegetation. In 1972, big head carp were brought in the United States by a fish farmer in Arkansas to improve his water quality and fish production. In 1973, silver carp were introduced for phytoplankton control (Watershed Council 1). Over time, they were brought over for different reasons and made their way into many of the United States waters. The federal government had transported the invasive species to help the waters but, they did not realize the bad effects that the fish would have on the future environment. People need to find a way to stop them before it’s too late. Their rapid breeding has had a great toll on the environment and is still affecting it today. Over population can destroy the environment
and the millions of creatures around it. The spread of Asian carp could be fatal to our native fish species (Barbara A. Somervill 24).
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...
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...arp need to be stopped before they take over any more water. They are disrupting the natural fish habitats as well as the other creatures living in the waters. They are not helping the environment anymore. They are just creating problems for our future.
Works Cited
Garrison, Ronnie. "Asian Carp Problems - Invasion of the Asian Carp." About.com Freshwater Fishing. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 May 2014.
Landers, Jackson. "Monstrous Leaping Fish Are About to Invade the Great Lakes. Here’s How to Stop Them." Slate Magazine. N.p., 2014. Web. 9 May 2014.
Payette, Peter. "Michigan Chefs Experiment with Asian Carp." Michigan Radio. N.p., 26 Mar. 2013. Web. 8 May 2014.
Somervill, Barbara A. Asian Carp. Ann Arbor, MI: Cherry Lake Pub., 2008. Print.
"'Wonder Fish' Turns into Environmental Piranha: The Battle Against Asian Carp." Cleveland.com. N.p., 23 Oct. 2011. Web. 9 May 2014.
In this entertaining, search into global fish hatcheries, New York Times writer Paul Greenberg investigates our historical connection with the ever changing ocean and the wild fish within it. In the beginning of the book Paul is telling his childhood fishing stories to his friends, that night Paul discovers that that four fish dominate the world’s seafood markets in which are salmon, tuna, cod, and bass. He tries to figure out why this is and the only logical answer he could come up with is that four epochal shifts caused theses wild fish population to diminish. History shows that four epochal shifts happen within fifteen years causing certain fish species populations to diminish. He discovers for each of the four fish why this happened to
Known as Pterois Volitans in the animal kingdom, also called the red lionfish, is a sight to behold in the tropical waters as they swim like an underwater butterfly in the sea. In waters not native to their origin, as they are from the Pacific and have predators that will have them for a snack. Invasive to the Caribbean Sea they have rapidly reached the Gulf of Mexico and far south, spreading to parts of South America. The lionfish has become a persistent pest that’s more trouble than what it appears to be, attractive yet deceptive with a striking pattern of white and red stripes. In the New York Times article, A Call to Action… and Even Rodeos, scientists say that, “from 2005 onward, lionfish have become the most numerous nonnative invasive species in the world.” The average pound fish is one of nature’s clever creations, a venomous foe with spines and an infinite appetite that reproduce quickly. Invasive species are notorious because they have no or almost nonexistent natural predators and they are adapt to their new home very well. The biological adaptations of this fish has caused both ecological and economical mayhem, serious measures have been taken up to control their population as well as to protect 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.
Larabee, John, and Richard Price. "Tide of Troubles has Fish Industry Reeling/ Crisis Caused by Pollution, Development, Over-Fishing." USA Today 10 Mar. 1994: 9A
Just as in any other sport, understanding gives rise to advantage and success. As serious fishermen, we had dedicated much thought to understanding the fish, hypothesizing their behavior. One understanding we had already gained through previous experiences was that fish readily eat the prey that is normally available. This, we concluded, was a sort of defense against fishermen and their foreign lures and was acquired through the fishes’ own previous experience of eating a lure. In applying this understanding to our fishing, we performed a routine food chain analysis to find out what our lures needed to imitate. The results were that the part of the food chain just beneath our quarry consisted mostly of small fish such as anchovies and young yellowtail, smaller than those shad and bluegill normally eaten in freshwater ponds. To compensate for this difference we would have to use lures smaller than those we were used to using. Luckily we had some.
Wallace, Daniel. Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions. North Carolina: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2012. N. pag. Print.
“Summary Report for: Fish and Game Wardens”. O Net Online. 2014.Web. 4 April 2014. >.
Cuddington, K, W. J. S. Currie, and M. A. Koops. “Could an Asian carp population establish in the Great Lakes from a small introduction?” 27 April, 2014.
North America, especially the United States hosts some of the most beautiful rivers and lakes on the entire planet. That is in thanks to its geographical location, and the extent of the level of technology that is available to the world because of American engineers and scientists. Scientists are given the opportunity to create chemicals or other inventions that are beneficial to the waterways. As well as building structures strong enough to harness the sheer power of water; altering the course it will take downstream as well as blocking it from ever reaching a specific location. The Asian carp invasion is causing massive amounts of damage; one would believe that because of the advancing field of technology a solution would be a relatively
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
Palumbi, Stephen and Anthony, Palumbi “Forget 'Shark Week': They aren't the only fish in the sea.” latimes.com. Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2014. Web. 2 Feb. 2014
In 1996, the Asian Longhorn Beetle made its way into the New York and New Jersey creating the decimation of the forests. The Asian Longhorn Beetle has so far caused the cutting of over 10,000 trees in New Jersey, and quarantine of 109 miles in New York today . The spread of this foreign beetle has created great impacts on the environment. The Asian Longhorn Beetle is an invasive specie, a harmful specie from another locations, mainly other countries, that has ended up in a foreign habitat. As time has progressed, invasive species have continued to come into our environment more frequently creating many unforeseen consequences. The relationship of invasive species within the United States’ environment and ecosystem has been changing ever since the arrival of the Europeans in the 1700s to present day. Due to these encounters with other species whether harmful or neutral, the majority, if not all, of the United States has been affected with the threatening encroachment of native species due to the industrialization of waterways and transportation.
Ling, Lisa . "Shark fin soup alters an ecosystem." CNN. Cable News Network, 15 Dec. 2008
This includes using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) solutions. What is IPM? IPM is a “planned program that coordinates economically and environmentally acceptable methods of pest control with the judicious and minimal use of toxic pesticides” (“Integrated Pest management,” 1). These programs use a careful assessment of local conditions that factor in climate, soil quality, and government regulations. A few examples of using an IPM strategy would be to introduce fish such as triploid grass carp or other biological control agents. There are many factors to consider before introducing a species to a habitat. First, you must identify the vegetation that needs to be controlled. In this case, Elodea is that vegetation. Grass carp does prefer pondweeds and hydrilla as a food source, but it does eat Elodea. The benefits of using triploid grass carp are many and by far outweigh any negative aspect of introducing them to new water habitat. They are inexpensive, are sterile and will not reproduce, feed only on plants, do not feed on young fishes or fish eggs, live for at least ten years, are difficult to catch using conventional methods of fishing, are dormant in the winter until the water temperatures reach sixty-eight degrees then resume extensive feeding, and they feed from the top of the plant downward (“Will Triploid Grass Carp Work for You?”). An added benefit of
Carp are commonly known to be heavy bodied, covered with scales and are often thought to be a boney fish. The invasive carp that are affecting the United States primarily come from the eastern side of Asia (inv 4). Although the species are classed together as Asian carp, these fish differ in a number of ways. Common carp (Cyprinus Carpio) were the first of the invasive carp to be brought into the United States in the 1870’s (effects of rapid). These fish are benthivorous and are known to effect the vegetation and the turbidity of the water (effects of rapid). Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idella) were the second to land in the United Sates. In 1963, the grass carp, primarily herbivores, were brought into the Alabama and Arkansas. These fish can grow up to 55” and can weigh as