it's mine all mine
There is a great big debate overwhether the Asian Carp should be considered a menace and about what we shoulddo about them. Grass, Bighead, Black,and Silver Carp are all Asian carp species. According to Keith Lawrence of theMessenger-Inquirer, Carp are being made into fertilizer, and fish oil, as wellas being sold to Asia as food products. However, the New York Times say that the Carp couldeasily put an end to the $7 million dollar fishing industry in the Great Lakes. Aside from economic reasons for keepingor eliminating them, the main reason to stop them from spreading is the factthat they threaten to collapse the entire ecosystem if they get out of control. Asian Carp are detrimental as aninvasive species due to their adaptability, reproductive capability, theirappetite, as well as their impact on native species.
First, the Asian Carp are all veryadaptable when it comes to the conditions in which they can survive. Carp are able to survive in frozen lakes aslong as they can reach the surface; they are also able to survive in very warmclimates. Carp are also able to eat a broadvariety of foods so they can get nutrition from things most fish can’t. The Asian Carp have a great capacity to hearsounds which make them cautious fish. The Carp range in weight from 40 lbs to 100lbs;this massive size and weight means that they have a small number of predators. Even though they are large fish, they arefairly bony, and the meat has very little market in America. When the oxygen in the water is in shortsupply the Carp can swallow air from the surface of the water, which means thatthey can live is small bodies of water such as swamps as well as large oneslike lakes. With all of this it seemsthat Carp are some of the most adaptable fish on the planet.
Next, the reproductive capabilitiesof the Asian Carp species are very impressive. According to Wikipedia.org an Asian Carp, onaverage, will lay up to 300,000 eggs at a time. Carp can also spawn more than once a year, andwhen you combine that with an average lifespan of 50 years that adds up to 30million eggs in one female Carp’s lifespan. With no predators the Carp population can and will increase exponentiallyuntil it is the only fish in the water. Aperson could say that we should introduce the natural predator of the Carp as agame fish; however that would be an even bigger mistake than introducing theCarp. This is ironic considering thatthe common carp was introduced to the United States as a game fish. Unfortunately for those who introduced thecarp it is now a nuisance and is actually pushing out desirable native gamefish by their sheer numbers. It has beensuggested to expose the invasive Carp to the Koi herpes virus which is fatal toCarp species, but there are questions about whether this virus could evolveinto something that could affect all native Cyprinids.
Then, the broad spectrum of the Carpdiet allows it to take advantage of the resources other creatures use tosurvive, and some resources other fish can’t. Carp are classified as omnivores even thoughthey tend to eat more plant matter than meaty foods. The Carp diet consists of water plants,plankton, worms, insects, and crustaceans. Asian Carp are also very good at filterfeeding and according to Wikipedia.org some of them can strain out particles offood as small as 4µm. The EPA says thatAsian Carp are a threat to the Great lakes because of the amount of food thatthey consume. Since the Carp’s dietconsists of with low calorie content the Carp must eat throughout the day tosurvive. The Bighead Carp and the SilverCarp were actually imported by catfish farmers in the 1970s to eat algae, andother suspended matter out of their ponds, but floods in the early 1990s causedmany Carp to escape into the wild. Nowthat we know that young fish need the algae and suspended matter to feed on, ithas become apparent that the Carp are definitely trouble for native fish.
Next, the Asian Carp are puttingpressure on many native species in the United States. EPA researchers expect that the Asian Carpwould disrupt the food chain that supports the native fishes of the Great lakes,if this happens the fishing industry of the Great lakes will suffer severely. It is understood by Wikipedia.com that theAsian Carp are currently competing with native fish such as the Paddlefish,Gizzard shad, and young fish of almost all species. Asian Carp are also putting pressure on youngLake Trout, Walleye, and the fish that these two predators eat as adults. These fish are what support a fishingindustry that employs many people of the Great lakes. Carp eat mainly plants and plankton whichform the base of the food chain, if the Carp take out the base of the foodchain what's left of it will collapse. In some places the Carp are so numerous that there are few native fishfor the fishermen. In hopes of pleasingthe people some politicians have taken extreme measures such as a costlymillion dollar electric barrier and piscicides that killed every single fish inthe water. I believe that the way tomake these invasive fish cease to exist is to give rise to such a high demandfor them that they are wiped out in the American waters.
It is quite apparent that the AsianCarp’s adaptability, reproductive capabilities, diet, and the pressure they puton native species make them detrimental as invasive species. Their adaptability allows them to stay alive inconditions few fish can. Their abilityto rapidly reproduce will push out native fish by total numbers. Their eating habits encompass nearly all thatis possible for a fish and their appetites are enormous. They are putting pressure on native fishes ofall kinds by taking up space, food, and shelter. With these facts I conclude that the AsianCarp are menace as an invasive species.
Chung,Emily. “The Asian Carp invasion, a bitter metaphor for the Canadian immigrationpolicy”. CBS News. August, 6, 2010.
Lawrence, Keith. “Asian Carp Currently a nuisance”. Messenger-Inquirer.August, 30, 2010.
Lyndersen, Kari. “Carp invasion may prompt changes towaterways”. New York Times. October, 17, 2010.
Online. http://www.absolutemichigan.com/dig/michigan/michigan-invasive-species-asian-carp/. December, 9, 2010.
Online. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquaticanimals/asiancarp/index.html. December, 8, 2010.
Online. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquaticanimals/commoncarp/index.html. December, 8, 2010.
Online. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cyprinus carpio. December, 8, 2010.
Online. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/silver_carp . December, 8, 2010.
Online. http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/invasive/asiancarp/. December, 8, 2010.
Online. http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek030301.html. December, 9, 2010.
There is a great big debate overwhether the Asian Carp should be considered a menace and about what we shoulddo about them. Grass, Bighead, Black,and Silver Carp are all Asian carp species. According to Keith Lawrence of theMessenger-Inquirer, Carp are being made into fertilizer, and fish oil, as wellas being sold to Asia as food products. However, the New York Times say that the Carp couldeasily put an end to the $7 million dollar fishing industry in the Great Lakes. Aside from economic reasons for keepingor eliminating them, the main reason to stop them from spreading is the factthat they threaten to collapse the entire ecosystem if they get out of control. Asian Carp are detrimental as aninvasive species due to their adaptability, reproductive capability, theirappetite, as well as their impact on native species.
First, the Asian Carp are all veryadaptable when it comes to the conditions in which they can survive. Carp are able to survive in frozen lakes aslong as they can reach the surface; they are also able to survive in very warmclimates. Carp are also able to eat a broadvariety of foods so they can get nutrition from things most fish can’t. The Asian Carp have a great capacity to hearsounds which make them cautious fish. The Carp range in weight from 40 lbs to 100lbs;this massive size and weight means that they have a small number of predators. Even though they are large fish, they arefairly bony, and the meat has very little market in America. When the oxygen in the water is in shortsupply the Carp can swallow air from the surface of the water, which means thatthey can live is small bodies of water such as swamps as well as large oneslike lakes. With all of this it seemsthat Carp are some of the most adaptable fish on the planet.
Next, the reproductive capabilitiesof the Asian Carp species are very impressive. According to Wikipedia.org an Asian Carp, onaverage, will lay up to 300,000 eggs at a time. Carp can also spawn more than once a year, andwhen you combine that with an average lifespan of 50 years that adds up to 30million eggs in one female Carp’s lifespan. With no predators the Carp population can and will increase exponentiallyuntil it is the only fish in the water. Aperson could say that we should introduce the natural predator of the Carp as agame fish; however that would be an even bigger mistake than introducing theCarp. This is ironic considering thatthe common carp was introduced to the United States as a game fish. Unfortunately for those who introduced thecarp it is now a nuisance and is actually pushing out desirable native gamefish by their sheer numbers. It has beensuggested to expose the invasive Carp to the Koi herpes virus which is fatal toCarp species, but there are questions about whether this virus could evolveinto something that could affect all native Cyprinids.
Then, the broad spectrum of the Carpdiet allows it to take advantage of the resources other creatures use tosurvive, and some resources other fish can’t. Carp are classified as omnivores even thoughthey tend to eat more plant matter than meaty foods. The Carp diet consists of water plants,plankton, worms, insects, and crustaceans. Asian Carp are also very good at filterfeeding and according to Wikipedia.org some of them can strain out particles offood as small as 4µm. The EPA says thatAsian Carp are a threat to the Great lakes because of the amount of food thatthey consume. Since the Carp’s dietconsists of with low calorie content the Carp must eat throughout the day tosurvive. The Bighead Carp and the SilverCarp were actually imported by catfish farmers in the 1970s to eat algae, andother suspended matter out of their ponds, but floods in the early 1990s causedmany Carp to escape into the wild. Nowthat we know that young fish need the algae and suspended matter to feed on, ithas become apparent that the Carp are definitely trouble for native fish.
Next, the Asian Carp are puttingpressure on many native species in the United States. EPA researchers expect that the Asian Carpwould disrupt the food chain that supports the native fishes of the Great lakes,if this happens the fishing industry of the Great lakes will suffer severely. It is understood by Wikipedia.com that theAsian Carp are currently competing with native fish such as the Paddlefish,Gizzard shad, and young fish of almost all species. Asian Carp are also putting pressure on youngLake Trout, Walleye, and the fish that these two predators eat as adults. These fish are what support a fishingindustry that employs many people of the Great lakes. Carp eat mainly plants and plankton whichform the base of the food chain, if the Carp take out the base of the foodchain what's left of it will collapse. In some places the Carp are so numerous that there are few native fishfor the fishermen. In hopes of pleasingthe people some politicians have taken extreme measures such as a costlymillion dollar electric barrier and piscicides that killed every single fish inthe water. I believe that the way tomake these invasive fish cease to exist is to give rise to such a high demandfor them that they are wiped out in the American waters.
It is quite apparent that the AsianCarp’s adaptability, reproductive capabilities, diet, and the pressure they puton native species make them detrimental as invasive species. Their adaptability allows them to stay alive inconditions few fish can. Their abilityto rapidly reproduce will push out native fish by total numbers. Their eating habits encompass nearly all thatis possible for a fish and their appetites are enormous. They are putting pressure on native fishes ofall kinds by taking up space, food, and shelter. With these facts I conclude that the AsianCarp are menace as an invasive species.
Works Cited
Chung,Emily. “The Asian Carp invasion, a bitter metaphor for the Canadian immigrationpolicy”. CBS News. August, 6, 2010.
Lawrence, Keith. “Asian Carp Currently a nuisance”. Messenger-Inquirer.August, 30, 2010.
Lyndersen, Kari. “Carp invasion may prompt changes towaterways”. New York Times. October, 17, 2010.
Online. http://www.absolutemichigan.com/dig/michigan/michigan-invasive-species-asian-carp/. December, 9, 2010.
Online. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquaticanimals/asiancarp/index.html. December, 8, 2010.
Online. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquaticanimals/commoncarp/index.html. December, 8, 2010.
Online. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cyprinus carpio. December, 8, 2010.
Online. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/silver_carp . December, 8, 2010.
Online. http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/invasive/asiancarp/. December, 8, 2010.
Online. http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek030301.html. December, 9, 2010.
