The Black Carp Invasion

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

simple process. Which leaves to wonder if the Asian carp species are truly as resilient as once thought to be? The Asian carp species are genetically the perfect match for an invasive species. A total of four Asian carp species are located within the United States waterways. They are called, Bighead, Black, Silver, and Grass carp. In the end without finding the solution to stop the invasion, the Asian carp species will continue the destruction of the eye-catching waterways that are located within North America.
The name of one of the first members of the Asian carp stereotype is the Bighead Carp, scientific name, “Hypophthalmichthys nobilis” (Nico,L.P). The bighead carp originated from southern and central China. A private fish farmer in 1973 from Arkansas made the decision of bringing bighead carp in the United States for use in cultural ponds to increase the quality of water. It is believed that flooding presented the bighead carp in ponds an escape, leading to a few thousand bighead carp escaping from their isolated ponds. The bighead carp is a very large and rather narrow fish with eyes directed downward. The bighead is dark gray in color that gradually changes to a white color towards the underside of the fish. The bighead carp is easily identifiable from the dark color spots on the sides of the fish. Equipped with a large mouth without teeth, a protruded lower jaw, and the downward pointed eyes, the bighead carp is a perfect example of a bottom filter-feeding fish. The bighead carp diet is focused on plankton, which is as well the main source food of many native fish larva species and mussels. A bighead carp has no true stomach that requires it to consume food continuously. Bighead carp are known to completely diminish the plankton population in specific locations. This has caused the populations of native fish species to begin shrinking as well as possibly causing the extinction of species already on the brink of extinction. On average the bighead carp will live for close to nine years (MDoC). The bighead carp excels as an invasive fish because of their ravenous feeding habits and fast spawning rates. The male and female is at sexual maturity at age three, in North America a female bighead can lay up to one million six hundred thousand eggs a year (Nico,L.P). Later the eggs will be fertilized by a male bighead then takes the eggs forty to sixty hours before hatching. Unlike the preferred location of bighead, it will travel to fast moving water in order to spawn. The eggs are semi buoyant, which requires the moving water to carry the eggs and to keep the eggs from sinking to the bottom.
The second member of the stereotype called the Black Carp, scientific name, “Mylopharyngodon piceus” (Nico,L.G).

The Black carp originated in many of the Pacific drainage areas of eastern Asia, China, and parts of Russia and Vietnam. Black carp was introduced to the United States in the 1970’s to fish hatcheries and to control the populations of disease carrying snails in ponds. Flooding is the main factor to thank for the release of the black carp, which quickly turned into an invasion of the waterways. The Black carp is a medium size fish with the opportunity to become an extremely large fish if the conditions are favorable. “Based on Asian records, large adults may be more than 1.5 m total length and 70 kg or more in weight”(Nico,L.G). The black and grass carp is close to identical in regard to the characteristics of one another. However, the black carp is a slightly lighter color of black, with extremely large scales on the entire body. A black carp has human like molars as teeth that are used to crush snails and mollusks. With a slightly pointed snout that is a likely adaptation used to filter through the bottom of water bodies in search of food. The physical build of a black carp exhibits the design of a bottom-dwelling feeder. Sporting a long snout, large powerful human molar like teeth the black carp is built to succeed in water full of snails and mollusks. This means that the populations of already near extinct native snails and mollusks are at great risk of being

highly favorable targets of prey for black carp. “Lifespan probably is greater than 15 years” (Nico,L.G). The black carp male and female will become sexually matured by around the age of five years. The black carp location of spawning is in rivers that the female black carp are known as laying thousands of eggs at one time. The male black carp will then fertilize the eggs by releasing sperm into the water. Once fertilization has taken place it will take around two days for the eggs to hatch depending on water temperatures.
The third and most infamous species of the Asian carp group is the Silver Carp, “Hypophthalmichthys molitrix” (L.Nico). The silver carp is the most notoriously known carp because the silver carp are the carp that hurtle out of the water when frightened. Boaters on carp infested rivers are at constant alert of the flying silver carp. Many boating accidents are caused because of silver carp frightened by the boat motors and striking one of the passengers or drivers of the watercraft. This is also a very unpleasant scene that obstructs many great views of the river from tourists that will take paddle boat trips down the Mississippi and many other beautiful rivers. The silver carp originated from several major Pacific drainages by eastern Asia. “The silver carp was imported into the United States and stocked for phytoplankton control in eutrophic water bodies and also apparently as a food fish. It was first brought into the United States in 1973 when a private fish farmer imported silver carp into Arkansas” (L.Nico). Silver carp are very recognizable because they have a distinct silver color. The silver carp are similar to the bighead carp, but have a smaller head and different coloring than the bighead. Silver carp are a filter feeder type of fish, their diets consist generally of zooplankton and phytoplankton. Which is also the main source of food for native fish larva that depend on the plankton to be able to survive and increase their population. This cause’s native fish species to start declining in population that allows the invasive species to take over the river systems. Silver carp not only demolish native larva fish species food sources, but also feed on native adult fish species food sources. Thus, possibly eliminating entire food sources for native fishes. Silver carp become sexually mature at around the age of two years old in the United States. While their life expectancy is close to twenty years of age. The male and female silver carp spawn in slow moving rivers, a female silver is known to lay up to five million eggs per year. “A startled silver carp can jump up to 10 feet out of the water, and the impact has been compared to being hit with a fast-moving bowling ball” (Feltman). Silver carp are out of the four are the most dangerous to the wellbeing of humans who like to adventure out onto the beautiful waterways.
Finally the last carp in the group of Asian carps, is called the Grass Carp, scientific name, Ctenopharyngodon idella (Nico, L.G., P.L.

Fuller, P.J. Schofield, M.E. Neilson, A.J. Benson, and J. Li.). The grass carp is a species that is easily recognized while on the water or near the water. Silver on the sides that darkens towards the top of the fish that runs the entire length of the fish. “The dorsal fin origin is anterior to the pelvic fin origin and it has a short caudal peduncle” (Nico, L.G., P.L. Fuller, P.J. Schofield, M.E. Neilson, A.J. Benson, and J. Li.). The grass carp is typically the smallest in size in comparison to the first three carps. Weighing in at average of fifty pounds. In the past the grass carp species has been introduced to United States waters for the control of biological vegetation. “This species was first imported to the United States in 1963 to aquaculture facilities in Auburn, Alabama, and Stuttgart, Arkansas. The first release of this species into open waters took place at Stuttgart, Arkansas, when fish escaped the Fish Farming Experimental. However, many of the early stockings in Arkansas were in lakes or reservoirs open to stream systems, and by the early 1970s there were many reports of Grass Carp captured in the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.” (Nico, L.G., P.L. Fuller, P.J. Schofield, M.E. Neilson, A.J. Benson, and J. Li). The life expectancy for the grass carp is five to nine years of age. The grass carp is an aquatic vegetarian,

feeding on any type of vegetation located in the same body of water they are present in. The effect grass carp have on native aquatic species is not only limited to animals, but also plants in the native waterways. Grass carp consume large amounts of vegetation leaving the possibility to completely destroy all present aquatic plants. Grass carp eating habits not only eliminates native fishes food sources, but as well as their hiding places from predators. The grass carp become sexually matured at around the age of two to four years old. The spawning of grass carp is similar to black carp, females release large amounts of eggs into the water that then are fertilized by males.
The four of these carps are all differently helping the advancement of their invasion into the waterways of the United States. Leaving massive amounts of damages as they spread farther away. Also leaving very costly amounts to rebuild and stabilize the waterways already affected by the carp. Finally, the cost of preventing the spread of the Asian carp invasive species. The degree of the amount of damage possible just to the Great Lakes from invasive carp is tremendously high. According to the Mississippi National River and Recreation Service, the introduction of carp to Lake Erie has astonishing chance of damaging the fishing industry. “Lake Erie houses a seven billion dollar a year fishing industry” (USNPS). Another example of the dollar amount needed to stop the Asian carp from causing more damage to the North American waterways;
“The task force assigned by President Obama in fall of 2010, Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee, a collection of more than 20 local, state, and federal agencies. Funded by a one hundred and four million dollar budget out of the president’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the ACRCC has only one job: prevent Asian carp from making their way into the Great Lakes” (Hinterthuer).
This program was created to focus primarily on stopping the spread of the invasive Asian carp species from reaching the Great Lakes. The tourism spectrum of North American waterways are greatly damaged because people are afraid to go onto the water and be struck by a fifty pound fish leaping out of the water. In certain areas there are so many carp that when a boat goes through the location, all that can be seen is thousands of carp leaping from the water. This does not only affects tourism, but sport fishing. The damage the Asian carp species does to the ecology of the waterways reduces the populations of the angler’s desired catch. Ultimately, resulting in the decline of the number of anglers on the beautiful waterways. There are several measures that are in place to stop the spread of Asian carp, the building of dams ahead of the known location of the current reports of Asian carp invasion. By building dams in the rivers it blocks the spreading of the carp, but at the same time it also affects the flow of the river. Resulting in flooding of areas that are not used to the increase of water, which could cause raging flood waters. Another way of preventing the spread of the Asian carp is when the silver carp was introduced into the waterways to control aquatic vegetation, only sterile fish were released into the wild. Doing this stops the extremely fast spawning rates of the Asian carp. The most efficient way to eradicate the Asian carp species is by commercial fishing. This is fishing on a massive scale, with the use of large nets that capture thousands of pounds of carp at one time. A less efficient, but tremendously more exciting is bow fishing. Which is when an angler uses a bow and arrow that has a fishing reel device mounted on the bows connected with rope to the arrow. Once the fish is impaled, the angler is able to reel in his catch, or simply pull the rope in. In the western part of the world, society has stigmatized the carp as a nasty, disgusting fish that should never be consumed. However, in the eastern part of the world, where carp originate they are considered a delicacy, and considered as a main food source. In many Asian cultures the carp is also displayed as a sacred fish.
In conclusion the Asian carp species invading North America at this point in time may be believed to be a deadly invasion. However, farther down the line the invasion of the carp may turn out to be a much needed food source in a rapidly expanding population in North America. Until that time, there are numerous effective methods of preventing the spread of the Asian carp as well as their destruction along the way.