Background:
The Asian Carp is a species of fish that was introduced to a fish farm in Arkansas around the 1970s. In fact, there were seven species of carp introduced- including bighead, black, grass, and silver- all introduced to control weeds and parasites in Southern water ecosystems. Throughout the last couple of decades, the Asian Carp species has expanded north, along the Mississippi River, through the east-center region of the United States, eventually even reaching as high as the Great Lakes. The lack of natural predators in North America heavily aided this journey, and continues to encourage their expansion today.
In the beginning, as is the case with numerous invasive species, the species was contained. Fish farms in Arkansas maintained adequate boundaries to prevent the Carp from spreading where it was not welcome, however, soon those boundaries became glaringly inadequate. In the 1980s, massive amounts of rainfall and floods occurred in the Southern region of the United States, and this allowed the Asian Carp to escape their enclosures. Spreading upward, the Asian Carp has since disrupted countless ecosystems where it was before unwelcome.
While on their travels, Asian Carps consume up to 20% of their body weight each day in plankton. With a growing population, it becomes necessary for the Carp to continue to spread to new environments that are conducive to their eating habits.
Finally, while the Carp eats mainly one species, multiple species eat it. Animals such as the Alligator Gar, Pike, Large Catfish, and Striped Bass all feast on the Asian Carp.
Harmful Effects:
The Asian Carp, as other invasive species, disturbs the delicate peace set in motion by currently existing ecosystems. In fact, in sections of the Illinois and the Mississippi Rivers, 97% of the biomass, or total mass of organisms in that section, is the Asian Carp. As the Carp feasts on plankton and plankton plays a vital role in many ecosystems, the fish is destroying many of those ecosystems. The species in these environments, such as the freshwater mussel, suffer many casualties due to the Asian Carp. As the Carp is a very aggressive predator, they tend to out-compete or crowd out preexisting species.
The Asian Carp is a species of fish that was introduced to a fish farm in Arkansas around the 1970s. In fact, there were seven species of carp introduced- including bighead, black, grass, and silver- all introduced to control weeds and parasites in Southern water ecosystems. Throughout the last couple of decades, the Asian Carp species has expanded north, along the Mississippi River, through the east-center region of the United States, eventually even reaching as high as the Great Lakes. The lack of natural predators in North America heavily aided this journey, and continues to encourage their expansion today.
In the beginning, as is the case with numerous invasive species, the species was contained. Fish farms in Arkansas maintained adequate boundaries to prevent the Carp from spreading where it was not welcome, however, soon those boundaries became glaringly inadequate. In the 1980s, massive amounts of rainfall and floods occurred in the Southern region of the United States, and this allowed the Asian Carp to escape their enclosures. Spreading upward, the Asian Carp has since disrupted countless ecosystems where it was before unwelcome.
While on their travels, Asian Carps consume up to 20% of their body weight each day in plankton. With a growing population, it becomes necessary for the Carp to continue to spread to new environments that are conducive to their eating habits.
Finally, while the Carp eats mainly one species, multiple species eat it. Animals such as the Alligator Gar, Pike, Large Catfish, and Striped Bass all feast on the Asian Carp.
Harmful Effects:
The Asian Carp, as other invasive species, disturbs the delicate peace set in motion by currently existing ecosystems. In fact, in sections of the Illinois and the Mississippi Rivers, 97% of the biomass, or total mass of organisms in that section, is the Asian Carp. As the Carp feasts on plankton and plankton plays a vital role in many ecosystems, the fish is destroying many of those ecosystems. The species in these environments, such as the freshwater mussel, suffer many casualties due to the Asian Carp. As the Carp is a very aggressive predator, they tend to out-compete or crowd out preexisting species.
Potential Future Dangers:
If the Asian Carp reaches the Great Lakes, it will be nearly impossible to get rid of them. Females have the ability to lay half a million eggs every time they give birth, and this excessive amount of offspring greatly expands the already enormous Asian Carp population. Worryingly, Asian Carp eggs have already been found in the Wabash River in Indiana which, if it floods, could lead straight to Lake Erie via the Maumee River. This River, along with major sections of the Great Lakes are abundant with plankton and present ideal habitats for the Asian Carp. In addition, the Great Lakes are home to a booming fishing industry that generates seven billion dollars every year. With the introduction of the Carp into the Great Lakes, the existing species of fish will begin to diminish, and the fishing industry will lose vital money. In fact, in order to take proper precautions, many states including Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio, have all voiced the necessity to seek out ways of preventing the Asian Carp into Lake Michigan. These states understand that if the Asian Carp reaches the Great Lakes, a large part of the states' economic value will diminish. Even after all of this potential future danger in the Great Lakes, there is further danger elsewhere. As the Carp travel up the Mississippi River, that river branches off into many other rivers, leading eventually further and further into the heart of America. The Carps' expansion can properly be seen in the map at the top of the page. As is apparent, the Carp have definitely branched out from just the Mississippi River, and wherever they go, they disrupt existing ecosystems. In fact, according to federal researchers, 40% of the US could have Asian Carp, even if we managed to keep the fish out of the Great Lakes because they could spread through other rivers. |
Solutions:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have already taken precautions to keep the Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes, however, these precautions can be overridden. Along the edge of Lake Michigan, officials have spent millions of dollars and established electric barriers that are meant to prevent the Carp from entering the Lakes. While the notion is a good idea, these gates only serve as deterrents to the fish, not actually blockages, and other species of water creatures have been able to break through the barriers. Also, the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force supports agencies that use natural resources to help control the spread of Asian Carp. They believe that the problem needs to be handled immediately, and that we cannot merely sit back and have the problem solve itself. Also, it delegates potential responsibilities to agencies to be more productive in the Carp's containment. While the original idea of barriers did not work out as expected, the National Park Service is working to create higher barriers (because the Carp can jump when startled, as seen in the picture above) to keep the fish out. New technology is also arising where scientist can now trace the fish's movements using the biological footprints that the fish leave when they travel from place to place. Individually, the average citizen can help by ensuring that he or she does not carry or transport the Asian Carp to new areas, and by educating themselves about the harmful effects of the Asian Carp and teaching themselves to recognize the hazardous fish. More Information: http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/invasive-Species/Asian-Carp.aspx |