Today we are looking at the threat invasive species pose to our great lake ecosystems. More specifically we are looking at Asian Carp and what we are doing to protect our waterways from these invaders. The race is on to save our great lakes from these species.
Asian Carp are highly invasive and the threat they pose is quite real. There are 4 types of Asian Carp; the Bighead, Silver, Black and Grass Carp. All have the ability to damage our great lakes in their own ways. These fish have a hefty appetite eating anywhere from 25% to 40% of their body weight per day. Considering they can reach sizes just over 100 pounds that makes for one monstrous appetite. They eat from the bottom of the food chain eating things like vegetation, plankton and small crustaceans. This takes away food from our native species and can have damaging consequences.This creates a chain reaction effect that causes issues all the way up the food chain. Our great lake ecosystems and the fish native to them will become increasingly scarce if we don't take action.
How did the Asian Carp get here?
In the 1970's Asian Carp were being added to fishery ponds and sewage treatment plants to control excess vegetation and algae growth. Little did we know there would be massive flooding in the 90's which gave these fish a chance to escape in the Mississippi river basin. Since then they have been eating their way north towards Canada,
Who does it impact?
It impact many people. The first to see the damaging effects caused by these invasive species is our recreational and commercial fishermen. Not only would they see an impact, but anyone who enjoys spending time on the water could be impacted as well. Should a fish like the Silver Carp become established in our Great Lakes, it would lead to multiple injuries and damage to equipment as this fish can literally jump out of the water. It can reach heights up to 10 feet and considering Asian Carp are not small fish, that makes for a serious safety risk.
So what are we doing to stop the spread of Asian Carp?
There is a joint effort taking place between Canada and the US to ensure that these fish do not make it into our Great Lakes. Everything from sensory repellents to attract and repel pheromones are being used to try and keep these invasive species out of our waterways. Researchers are even looking into the use of a gene that would make the Asian Carp only produce male offspring. In time this would lead to their extinction in non-native waterways. The last line of defense being used is electrical barriers.They have been used for quite some time now to stop the Asian Carp from reaching Lake Michigan.
What we can do, to stop and prevent the establishment of Asian Carp in the Great Lakes, is to report any sightings to appropriate sources. If caught, it's important not to return these fish to the waterways. These sightings and interactions with these fish can be reported on the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System or EDDMaps for short. https://www.eddmaps.org/
As aquarium hobbyists it is our responsibility to be mindful of what we stock in ponds or waterways. We should not be adding non-native species to our waterways when disposing of pets and under no circumstance should we release them into the wild. The consequences can be high for our native species and ecosystems.
To much dismay several reproducing Grass Carp have been found in our Great Lakes despite our best efforts to stop them. They are not yet established making this a very critical time to take action. It's important for us all to do our part in reporting invasive species sightings.
Creators who donated content:
Lake ketchabigone
Juanelo1946 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANYoX...
Drone Footage
IBWOvids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6TW3...
Ben https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX7l3...
Jiah Polidano https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwFQc...
Yulia Tomilina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di0_W...
Brandon Scott https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJOUN...
kiteyuri https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4_yP...
Fish Footage
Lake St. Clair Fisheries Research Station https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mslz...
Juraj Karpis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXazo...
Sasuke Tsujita https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHSel...
Resources and footage.
Great Lakes Mississippi River Interbasin Study
http://glmris.anl.gov/
Great lakes Fisheries Commission
http://www.glfcvideos.org/videolistin...
USGS
https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries
Asiancarp.ca
http://asiancarp.us/multimedia.htm
U.S. Coast Guard
http://www.glfcvideos.org/videodetail...
/SpeciesAnimatedMap.aspx?speciesID=514
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/science/envi...
http://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca/
https://www.eddmaps.org/
https://www.google.com/earth
