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Asian Carp Research Paper

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Asian Carp Carp can look like large goldfish. The big difference between carp and goldfish are the barbels, or whiskers, around their mouths. Carp have thick lips and small eyes. They have a single dorsal fin with strongly serrated spines and a forked tail. The color of carp is varied. Wild, common carp can be olive, tan, or dark brown. They have large and thick scales. Where did carp come from? Carp are not native to Colorado. They are not even native to North America. Carp are native to Asia and are considered a delicacy. The people of Asia, for around the past 4,000 years have used carp for a cultivated food source, garden element, and symbol of strength and courage. 2000 years later, carp were brought to Europe and were used for …show more content…

National Parks Service). Carp become a nuisance. Carp crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the nineteenth century when many immigrants left their countries to live in the United States. Many hoped to create carp farms that would be successful like in Europe. Julius A. Poppe made one of the most successful carp farms in America. He came from Germany with only five common carp in 1872. By 1876, he had a thriving carp farm in California. The public began to want carp to be more widely spread across the United States. Faced with such public pressure to make carp more widely available, the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries began an intensive effort of carp cultivation in 1877. These carp were introduced to many bodies of waters across the United States by 1890. The carp were able to thrive in any type of water. They reproduced quickly and soon infiltrated other species. The cultivation and implantation of the carp was a big success, or so people thought. Carp turned out to not be a useful food source like they had been in Europe. Carp began to overpopulate waters and take over the sport fish (Carp). To eat, carp suck in mud, filter out the nutrients, then spit …show more content…

Zebra mussels are freshwater mollusks. They have two valves, or shells, which are the called the right and left valve. These valves are usually a light tan with dark brown zig-zag stripes. These stripes give the zebra mussel its name because the stripes look like those of a zebra. Zebra mussel valves can also be completely dark brown or completely tan; these types of valves are very rare though (Freshwater Mussel Collection: Introduction- Anatomy). The insides of these freshwater mollusks are full of many muscles and parts that function for moving, eating, and reproducing. Muscles used for movement are the foot and the adductor muscles. The foot is a strong muscle and is used for locomotion, moving from one place to another. It also serves as an anchor for the mussel and keeps it attached to rocks or other surfaces. The adductor muscles are used to open and close the right and left valves. The mantle is a muscle that holds the mussel together. The mantle holds all of the soft parts inside of

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