Need help on my cause and effect essay (freshwater fish related)

[Matt724]

Now that I've found my topic, I need your guys' help to prove and support my claim.

My argument is that freshwater fish species are becoming endangered and extinct due to (1) erosion, (2) exploitation, (3) pollution, and (4) invasive species.

What I need help with is supporting each of the 4 causes with credible information and real life examples.

And as always, all input is MUCH MUCH appreciated!

Here's my outline so far (the work of about 2 minutes)

 

[bahamaqt00]

Here is something on erosion (soil erosion)

Soil erosion is the #1 source of pollution to surface water in Maine. Each year rainstorms and snowmelt wash tons of dirt off the land around Maine.
How could something so ‘natural’ be so bad? Soil erosion is natural after all. However, when we change the landscape from forest to yards, streets, farm fields, shopping centers and roads, we accelerate soil erosion.

We have all seen a stream in our neighborhood turn cloudy or brown after a rainstorm. This cloudy water makes it difficult for fish to see and feed properly. The particles act as sandpaper against a fish’s gills causing damage and making breathing difficult. Many fish and aquatic insects lay their eggs in gravel beds. The sediments that are deposited in the stream cover up these areas, sometimes even entombing young fish and eggs.
The sediment may also destroy a stream’s natural ‘riffle and pool’ pattern and can make a stream shallower. When streams become wider and more shallow, flooding problems can increase. The shallow water is heated more efficiently by the sun, causing water temperatures to rise and then cold water fish, such as trout, are replaced by warm water fish.



This was from: http://www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/doceducation/dirt.htm




Here is a good article on envasive species. It is in Canada but they have some good info:

http://www.currentresults.com/Wildlife/Endangered-Species/Endangered-Fish/exotic-710051.php


I'm sure the snakehead would be a good topic for envasive species.



For pollution you could talk about flouride in our drinking water that gets into streams and rivers:


"A review of Literature and documentation suggests that concentrations of fluoride above 0.2 mg/L have lethal (LC50) effects on and inhibit migration of "endangered" salmon species whose stocks are now in serious decline in the US Northwest and British Columbia. Fluoride added to drinking water, "to improve dental health", enters the fresh water eco-system, in various ways, at levels above 0.2 mg/L. This factor, if considered in "critical habitat" decisions, should lead to the development of a strategy calling for a ban on fluoridation and rapid sun setting of the practice of disposal of industrial fluoride waste into fresh water. See "Effects of Fluoride on Fish Passage"


Maybe you could do a little section about the oil spill and how that is effecting fish?



I was also thinking what about one of your main topics being climate change? I know that is effecting a lot of fish.



Just a couple things I found and could think of off the top of my head.


Good luck!

 

[D-Train]

Parachromis sp. La Ceiba Yellow head. The only known lagoon in which they resided is now a hotel.

 

[Matt724]

Here is something on erosion (soil erosion)
...
Good luck!

Thank you so much for this info! I think I am going to add Climate change as one of the causes, but I might put erosion as a sub topic to pollution. Do you think that would be okay?

Parachromis sp. La Ceiba Yellow head. The only known lagoon in which they resided is now a hotel.

Where did you get this info from? Because I can't find it on the internet.

 

[Death Pony]

Don't forget the damming of the Yangtze river and the possible extinction of the Chinese Paddlefish.

 

[bahamaqt00]

Thank you so much for this info! I think I am going to add Climate change as one of the causes, but I might put erosion as a sub topic to pollution. Do you think that would be okay?



Where did you get this info from? Because I can't find it on the internet.

No problem. Yeah I think erosion would be a good subtopic because it kind of causes pollution. Doing climate change would be a good idea because there is so much info on it and you can get into the whole "global warming" thing....

 

[D-Train]

Thank you so much for this info! I think I am going to add Climate change as one of the causes, but I might put erosion as a sub topic to pollution. Do you think that would be okay?



Where did you get this info from? Because I can't find it on the internet.

Ken Davis and some other people whom travel down south to collect. It was in a thread a while back

 

[Matt724]

No problem. Yeah I think erosion would be a good subtopic because it kind of causes pollution. Doing climate change would be a good idea because there is so much info on it and you can get into the whole "global warming" thing....

Hey, do you know where I can find some good articles for diseases in freshwater species? Everything on the internet is based on aquarium fish diseases, but I need something where it was an epidemic in the wild.

 

[bubbles123]

An excerpt from : "http://www.raincoastresearch.org/salmon-farming.htm" . There's alot more info on that page than just this quote:

"[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Disease transfer[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Salmon farms differ fundamentally from terrestrial farms because their effluent flows directly, untreated into contact with wild species. While scientist have dubbed salmon farms pathogen culturing facilities (Bakke and Harris 1998), both provincial and federal governments in British Columbia refuse to examine the fate of bacteria, parasites and viruses emanating from salmon farms. Salmon are designed to move. Epidemics in wild fish are extremely rare, because, when pathogens strike - the sick drop out of the school and are eaten by predators.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Intensive farming, however, breaks natural laws of density, distribution bio-diversity and survival of the fittest. Disease is nature's relentless response to over-crowding and so the farmers have to resort to drugs. Small bays which might support a few hundred salmon in intermittent bursts throughout the year, are now filled with up to 1,000,000 - 2,000,000 stationary salmon. This is the best thing to happen to fish pathogens on this coast since the glaciers receded. In such close proximity, the feces of the crowded fish pass over each other's gills. Because the fish are confined and unable to migrate, pathogens accumulate into a rich broth. Antibiotics can keep most farm salmon alive long enough to reach market size, but leave the fish contagious, shedding pathogens into marine currents."[/FONT]


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[Matt724]

An excerpt from : "http://www.raincoastresearch.org/salmon-farming.htm" . There's alot more info on that page than just this quote:

"[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Disease transfer[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Salmon farms differ fundamentally from terrestrial farms because their effluent flows directly, untreated into contact with wild species. While scientist have dubbed salmon farms pathogen culturing facilities (Bakke and Harris 1998), both provincial and federal governments in British Columbia refuse to examine the fate of bacteria, parasites and viruses emanating from salmon farms. Salmon are designed to move. Epidemics in wild fish are extremely rare, because, when pathogens strike - the sick drop out of the school and are eaten by predators.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Intensive farming, however, breaks natural laws of density, distribution bio-diversity and survival of the fittest. Disease is nature's relentless response to over-crowding and so the farmers have to resort to drugs. Small bays which might support a few hundred salmon in intermittent bursts throughout the year, are now filled with up to 1,000,000 - 2,000,000 stationary salmon. This is the best thing to happen to fish pathogens on this coast since the glaciers receded. In such close proximity, the feces of the crowded fish pass over each other's gills. Because the fish are confined and unable to migrate, pathogens accumulate into a rich broth. Antibiotics can keep most farm salmon alive long enough to reach market size, but leave the fish contagious, shedding pathogens into marine currents."[/FONT]


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Thank you so much! I'm also using an article from sciencedaily about a fungus that the daphnia eat, which eats the blood of the daphnia and lays spores at the same time and when the daphnia is eaten by larger species, they release the spores. IDK, if you were interested or not. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100505113241.htm