Carmp: Aquatic Ecosystem Analysis

The Asian carp can only hurt the Great Lakes ecosystem. Because they eat the same food as the filter feeding fish in the food chain, competition is great. If the fish at the bottom of the food chain do not have food, then they will die off. This means that the bigger fish that eat the small fish that have died off will have no food, and so on. Therefore, there will be a mass starvation and the ecosystem will be destroyed. The native fish, such as trout and walleye, would be starved off. This will kill the fishing industry in the Great Lakes. The CBC broadcast also mentioned, “[The invasion of the Asian carp] would unravel the aquatic food web and threaten the region’s $7 billion fishing industry, and on the Ontario side, a commercial fishery worth up to $215 million a year.” With that much loss at risk, it is worth the money it is going to take to stop and prevent the Asian carp from taking over the Great Lakes.

Brooks and Dodson, the authors of the article titled “Predation, Body Size, and Composition of Plankton”, conducted research on the effect the small fish called Alosa Pseudoharengus has on an ecosystem, more specifically, different lakes in New England. Along with the data they collected on the aforementioned matter, they studied the sizes and the composition of the miniscule zooplankton inhabiting the lakes, and compared it with that of the Alosa. Their research uncovered important facts regarding water ecosystems and how they are so easily thrown off balance.

Why are Asian Carp such an issue? Although they are mostly not direct predators, they eat up to one third of their body weight. Asian Carp to not eat other fish, but they eat plankton leaving native fish lower on the food chain competing for food to survive. Asian carp also reproduce rapidly and abundantly. A female Bighead Carp can carry up to one million eggs in a lifetime. In result of such profuse reproduction, Asian Carp are overpopulating the Great Lakes. Since, they are so outsized, they take up much space in the lakes. Asian Carp are also among the largest populated species. If Asian Carp continue to establish themselves permanently in

Crawfish naturally excrete phosphorous as well as nitrogen, and have enabled the lake to have a faster turnover rate within its waters thanks to their large numbers (University of Davis Centers for Water and Wildlife Resources, 1996). Warm-water fish not native to the Lake Tahoe area have also begun to thrive within the near shore environments because of the increase in water temperature, and continue to intrude on native fish. The rise in water temperatures is most likely from an increase in algae production within the near shore areas caused by the production of nutrients by the Asian clams, which in turn then feeds the growing crawfish population.

Now days times have changed. You can no longer enjoy the things you once could. It has become dangerous to waterski or to even enjoy a boat ride down the river due to the Asian carp. These fish are startled easily by boats, and small watercraft. They can jump ten to twelve feet out of the water causing damage to boats and injuring humans. I have heard of people getting cuts from the fins, black eyes, concussions, broken noses and jaws, and even knocked unconscious from this species of fish. Not only are these Asian Carp causing physical damage, they are wreaking havoc on the ecological system. The main concern from the Asian Carp is the dangerous effects that it is bringing to our ecosystem. As an avid fisherman, this is of great concern to me. This will not only affect me as a fisherman, but also possibly hunters, bird watchers, boaters, even jet skiers and water skiers are

Introduced species are seldom a positive addition to an ecosystem as they cause great stress and harm to the populations of native species. Many introduced species become invasive as they have no natural predators in their new environment, therefore they thrive, and crowd out all other animals. Some examples of invasive species in Ontario waters include the round goby, zebra mussels, eurasian ruffe, goldfish, northern snakehead, rainbow smelt, and rudd, to name a few. A great example to show how destructive an introduced fish can be is the asian carp, this species spreads very aggressively and it is considered the greatest threat to aquatic ecosystems in Ontario. These fish grow to be very large in size, up to 40 kg and 1 meter long. The asian

There were Asian Carp found in a water mass in one of the Great Lakes. Imported from Asia, the sliver carp, will out compete native species in the Great Lakes for food. This would ruin the ecosystem in the Great Lakes because the carps will out compete the species that are native to this lake for food causing the native species to die off. In the Great Lakes commercial and sport fishing is an industry that is worth billions yearly. The silver carp that was found in the great lake could have gotten there many different ways. On is that is swam through the electric barrier that prevents carps from entering the water way. Another is that it could have been on about and carried past the barrier. Lastly, it could have been placed in the lake by

Asian Carp where brought to America in the 1970’s because of their ferocious appetites, to keep algae and other matters out of ponds on catfish farms. Asian Carp average a full-grown length of five feet, and can surpass one hundred pounds. They breed and populate, and grow very quickly. Asian Carp are adversely affecting their un-natural environments by starving out native pond and river inhabitants. They have been slowly but surely migrating up the Mississippi River since their introduction to the Georgia portion. Their imminent arrival to the Great Lakes of Michigan has become a serious concern. This would be an issue because the Great Lakes are currently home to more than 43 federally protected species of fish. An invasion by Asian Carp

Another supposition that Bourgeois and Schoenberg states, is the decline of the economy that occurred in the United States, this decline greatly the Edgewater community due to its relocation of hundreds of jobs which greatly effected the community. Many individuals lost their jobs due to the relocation in areas. Important jobs such as shipyards, steel mills, and sheltering, transportation, and many other jobs. During the 1970s and 1980s, many members of the Edgewater community could not recuperate from the change. Problems began when income became unequal between class members, rents became too high for renting, but also low vacancies in order to rent were some factors to cause the cities downfall. Not only did these factors come into play,

The Bighead and Silver Carp are invasive species that were imported by China to control food. They mainly affect the food supply resulting in less sport fish. There isn't a whole lot of Big Heads and Silver Carp, but some were caught in the Mississippi River.

In most of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, the common carp are farmed as a delicacy, but in other parts of the world such as Australia and Canada, they are considered a pest. These pests, when small, could be confused as goldfish, but when older, they can be distinguished by a pair of whiskers at each side of their mouth. They have thick lips, a single dorsal fin and small eyes. They are also commonly a yellow-brown colour, varying in darker and lighter scales, depending on their location. They were introduced to Australia somewhere between the 1850’s, to the 1870’s, and since then millions, if not billions have been bred and are now infestation the rivers of

Have you ever seen lake that is crystal clear with a bottom that is covered in muscles or has carp splashing on the surface as far as the eye can see? This happens when invasive species enter lakes and have an enormous population spike due to a lack of natural predators. In the video Aquatic Invaders it is said that “Over the last century and a half, there have been over 140 species that are invading the great lakes but, in only the last 30 years this trend has been accelerating (Donahue).”There are a wide variety of invasive species from hundreds of types of algae to big head carp and all of which have few positives and a large variety of negative effects. Despite the negative effects, there are few prevention methods in place to prevent these invasive species from entering our local water including the great lakes. While I do concede that there are a few positive aspects such as Bow fishing, I still insist that invasive species destroy lakes, kill native species, and could cost the state millions in lost tourism and fishery revenue.

The threat of the Asian Carp entering Lake Michigan’s waterways has now become a serious issue. The main access into Lake Michigan for the Asian Carp would be through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canals which connects to the Mississippi River. These natural waterways have also been connected to man made rivers to allow easier access to the lake for trading and transporting goods. Though along the river there are a couple of dams, this does not stop the Asian Carp, but merely slows the Carps movement.

Equally important,is what happens if the Asian Carp enter the Great Lakes and what effect they will have on the ecosystem. The entry of Asian Carp into the Great Lakes is shrouded in uncertainty, looking at what they done to the Mississippi and it’s numerous connecting streams and rivers, it could be catastrophic. As they been able to outnumber and out compete many of the native fish species. As well as, the Silver Carp’s defense mechanism being triggered by boat motors causing numerous injuries to fishermen and boaters. On the other hand the entry of the Asian Carp could in fact in some ways benefit the existing food chain and ecosystem. By providing a new food sources to already present species in the Great Lakes.

Benthic macroinvertebrates have been used to assess the health of aquatic environments. Quality analysis involves looking at benthic species composition and organization within the stream (Resh and Unzicke 1975). Different macroinvertebrates have differing sensitivities to pollutant, with some being more susceptible to environmental toxins than others (Metcalfe 1989). Such methods group macroinvertebrates in regards to their tolerance to pollution.