"Asian Carp Breed in Great
Lakes, Threaten Fishing." USA Today. Gannett, 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 31
Oct. 2013.
<http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/28/asian-carp-great-lakes/3289387/>.
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On Monday, October 28, 2013 scientists documented the first
cases of Asian carp successfully breeding in rivers connected to the Great
Lakes. The three main types of Asian carp that are invading the waterways are:
grass, bighead, and silver carp. The carp were initially brought to America to
control algae and other plants in sewage treatment lagoons. Asian carp are not
from North America and compete with the native species for food and habitat.
The bighead and silver carp are the most dangerous to the ecosystem because
they eat massive amounts of plankton, which play a key role in the food chain.
A consequence of these quickly breeding carp species taking
off would be the elimination of native fish populations. This could hurt the $7
billion fishing industry of the Great Lakes. The Obama administration has spent
$200 million on protective measures, such as electricity gated waterways
between the Mississippi River (which is full of carp) and Lake Michigan. The
amount of carp in the Great Lakes may be higher than scientists originally
thought. New equipment is being created to determine if rivers are suitable for
carp breeding.
The article was factual and informative. It was to the point
and did not use any analogies, metaphors or similes to reinforce its topics. The
conversation like syntax as well as the clear, simple diction made it easy to
follow and understand. The organization was key to this article. It started
with background information, followed by the issues of invasive carp, what is
being done to control them, and what the future looks like. Judging by the
style of the article, it is meant to quickly inform the public of the invasive
carp situation that looms.
Growing up next to Lake Superior has allowed me to hear
about other invasive species scares throughout years, such as lampreys, zebra mussels,
and many more. I think all of these invasive species invasions should be taken
very seriously because our food chain/ecosystem is not made to control these
invasive species from growing out of control. I would hate to see native
species go extinct because humans transported species here in non-natural ways.
1. The article mentions permanently cutting off the waterway that connects the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan as an invasive carp solution. Should humans have the right to cut off/reroute natural rivers just so species cannot travel into the Great Lakes? Why or Why not?
2. In the news you often hear about new invasive species. Are there any cases where humans should not interfere with invasive species and let them proliferate? Explain.
3. If you caught/found an invasive species, what would you do with it? Does it depend on what the organism is?
The article was very thorough with explaining exactly what is happening in the great lakes with invasive carp species. I however, do not think that humans have the right to cut off natural rivers due to one species being highly invasive. Scientists could come up with a different solution such as cutting off resources to the types of food the carp eat, or bring in another species whose main food supply is carp.
ReplyDeleteOverall, if native species are to become extinct due to an invasive carp species, then I think that scientists should have the right to take control over the carp population until the situation becomes progressively better.
I have never heard of any such invasive species where humans did not interfere with them, unless for research however. Scientists do as much as possible to protect natural wildlife, therefore they will interfere with invasive species only when the situation becomes uncontrollable. I also have a feeling that humans play a part in bringing invasive species into parts of a natural habitat. “Since humans started the problem, it is only fair to end the problem.”
If I had caught/found an invasive species I would let the organism survive, only if scientists intended me to pertain in such an action. If wild life conservation officers requested that type of species be discarded, I would obey their command.
1. Depends on which side of the argument you stand. The Asian Carp will, effectively, destroy the Great Lakes' fishing economy. That's a huge industry we're talking about. Some may even say "too big to fail." On the other hand, cutting off natural rivers will have obvious repercussions.
ReplyDelete2. Again, depends on which outcome you want to see. On the one hand, you could let the Asian Carp proliferate, eat all of the plankton, destroy native fish species' natural habitats, and you'd have a new market for fisheries. It would be homogeneous, but it would be a market, nonetheless.
For fun, Google invasive species in North America, and you'll stumble upon a massive list (provided by Wikipedia). Among the many invasive species listed, your own domestic house pets (think dogs and cats) originated in other continents. Hence, invasion = change. In the case of the asian carp, the change will be bad news for the economy, local fishermen, and native fish populations.
3. If I caught/found an invasive species, I would make one of two decisions.
1. Irresponsible decision: take the species home, feed it, let it grow, and name it Bob.
2. Responsible decision: contact the DNR, attempt to quarantine the area where the invasive organism was located, and wait for further instruction.
It saddens me to see something happening like this to our dear great lakes. I think personally we should be doing our best to control these situations and if the easiest way to this is cutting off the waterway then so be it. It does not have to be a permanent solution, just something to hold off the carp until we can find something more permanent and not as severe.
ReplyDeleteIf we were to continue to let these carp into our waterways, we could ultimately say goodbye to our fishing industry here in Duluth along with other port cities. I know it is something that we thrive off as a port city I would hate to see our Duluth economy suffer due to an invasive species.
I believe we do have the right to reroute or cut off natural rivers for preservation of native species. From this brief bit of information on carps, I think we are allowed to take action due to the fact the fishing industry plays a great role in the Great Lake area economy. Also, it would maintain the balance of prey vs. predator.
ReplyDeleteInvasive species control seems to be a difficult task; however, I think we should take responsibility to maintain our native species and aquatic environments. If we did not control or address these issues, eventually our diverse community of fish would decline as these invasive species populations rapidly increase.
Being pretty naive about invasive species, especially when it comes to what they look like, I guess I wouldn't know what to do with it. Maybe contact the local DNR because it seems like something they would deal with it. Or I'd possibly eat it, if it's an edible fish.