Persuasive Essay On Quagga Mussels

Sharks, the scariest, biggest, baddest creatures! That's what we make them out to be, but are they really? The answer is no, we say that. We kill more of them than they kill of us, about 900,094 more. Sharks, being carnivores, are NOT natural predators of humans.

Today, what once was a scenic lake is covered in chest-high weeds. “ Boaters and fisherman enjoy going to Lake Bridgeport during the summer. But in the summer of 2013 the boat ramps were unusable so the number of residents going to the lake dropped. There are dead fish floating to the shoreline as well as many other wildlife animals. The lake tested positive for Zebra Mussel larva, which is shell like creatures that are very sharp and stick to boats, anchors and docks. The Mussels are very dangerous for the lake environment, but they also eat bacteria so they could help the lake water clear up. If no water is drained out of Lake Bridgeport then the residents of Eagle Mountain Lake and Lake Worth could possibly run out of drinking water.

Blackfish, a documentary by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, analyzes the horrific treatment, containment, and use of Orca whales within entertainment facilities. The discussion of treatment began in 2010, when Dawn Brancheau was killed and drowned by the whale, Tilikum. Since this incident, there have been multiple investigations into SeaWorld and similar facilities. It is argued that the whales should be released from these facilities due to the posed dangers they have to humans, and themselves.

An invasive species has entered Maryland’s waters and threatens to dramatically alter the balance of the aquatic ecosystem. The Northern Snakehead fish, native to Asia and Africa, is a voracious predator, competing with native fish at all stages of its life. The juveniles will consume zooplankton, insect larvae, small crustaceans and other fry fish. Adults eat fish, crustaceans, frogs, small reptiles and even birds and mammals. Snakeheads aggressively protect their young. They are also air-breathers which allow them to survive on land for as long as four days and migrate up to a quarter mile over land making control difficult. Snakeheads carry a disease, Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome, and there is concern this disease may be transmitted to native fish. The snakehead fish was probably intentionally released in the U.S. by aquarium owners and through the live food fish trade attempting to establish a local food source. To date, the snakehead fish is found in seven states with reproducing populations documented in Maryland and Florida. In Maryland, they have been captured in the Potomac River and tributaries. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Biological Resources Division of the U.S.G.S. are all involved in monitoring and eradicating the snakehead fish. Maryland anglers can help by learning to identify the snakehead fish and by removing it from the ecosystem. As further incentive, Maryland DNR has offered

Some examples include the zebra mussel, sea lamprey, and Asian carp. The zebra mussel first came to the great lakes by traveling in the ballast water of a transoceanic vessel. Over the years, it has spread into the entire great lakes system. They are very dense with contaminants, which causes predators to stray away from them and not digest them. The zebra mussel has had many negative impacts on the ecosystem. A zebra mussel can attach themselves firmly to any solid object, which has caused water intake and discharge pipes to clog. Some other impacts include suppressing native mussels, over clarifying the water, and stripping water from various plankton that native fish eat. Sea lamprey are another invasive species in the great lakes. A sea lamprey is an eel like fish that sucks bodily fluids from other fish. They have traveled to the great lakes on their own by swimming up the Hudson River. They have contributed to the collapse of the whitefish and lake trout fisheries. Some prevention actions have been put in place and include chemical treatments of spawning

Two years ago a documentary was released that completely changed the view of a multi-billion dollar industry forever. This extremely influential and controversial documentary is called Blackfish. Blackfish centers around the story of a killer whale named Tilikum, who is nicknamed Tilly. The documentary was produced to illustrate that SeaWorld, and other sea parks similar to it, do not treat their animals in captivity well. Tilikum had killed one of his trainers in the past year when the documentary began to be filmed. Dawn Brancheau, one of Tilikum’s former trainers was dragged down to the bottom of the tank and held until she drowned on February 24th in 2010. This, sadly, was not the first person to be killed by Tilikum. Tilikum killed three

In response to invasive species threats, Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources, Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Environment and Transportation developed the Ontario Invasive Species Strategic Plan. Its objectives are to prevent new intruders from disembarking and subsisting in Ontario, to reduce and reverse the extent of remaining invasive species and decrease its damaging impacts. Ballast water is a well-known source for the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species in the Canadian water bodies. In response, Canada and the United States placed strict regulations governing ocean-going ships and their ballast water. For example, requiring inspection and the flushing of tanks with salt water before entering other waterways. Collectively,

Blackfish Paper The documentary “Blackfish” is about whales at seaworld. And also how the audience didn’t like the fact that they were kept in captivity. , And another is they didn’t like how seaworld were lying about the deaths of trainers. The question I am going to be answering is “what are the arguments for and against breeding animals in captivity?”The arguments are for animals that are in captivity and they are against animals that are kept in captivity to breed animals.

In the article published by the Detroit Free Press “How do you get rid 750 trillion mussels in the Great Lakes” written by Kathleen Lavey, the author discusses how there is currently no technology that would help on a large enough scale to kill all of the invasive mussels. Lavey talks about how there are paints that contain chili peppers which muscles don’t atach to. Companies use this paint on intake pipes so they do not get clogged with muscles. Lavey also discusses 060Bio which a piece of foam that is infused with copper and zinc ions which muscles find unsavory. They place these on boats, that way boats don’t get infested with muscles and move them around the lakes. There are many different ideas out there but they don’t have a method that

In 2010, the shocking death of Dawn Brancheau was the subject of many national news headlines. As a senior orca trainer for SeaWorld Orlando, she was well known for her ability to foster lasting relationships with the animals, as well as the viewers. When the accident occurred. It was the first real public display of how far one aggravated orca could take out their actions, to the public and the trainers alike. Trainers often orchestrated relationship sessions with the orcas before or even during the shows, which helped strengthen the bond between human and whale, insuring the whale's compliance in the shows and skills performed.

In taking action, Organizations in the Saranac Lake area created the Invasive Prevention and Preparedness plan. This was a 116 page plan aimed at preventing various invasive species, including the Asian clam, from entering the lake. The plan detailed regional actions, enforcement of New York State prevention law and various efforts coordinated through the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program. The plan also went over watershed action. This meant active prevention at New York State DEC boat launch sites. Before the clam outbreak in Lake George, Inspection and decontamination sites in Saranac lake did not meet the Clean-Drain-Dry Standard. Upon seeing the harm the clams had on the quality of lake George, Saranac Lake took steps to increase the effectiveness of these boat launch

Minns, C. K. (October 01, 2014). Management of Great Lakes fisheries: Progressions and lessons. Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management, 17, 4, 382-393.

Recently zebra mussels from Black Sea, stowed away in ballast water ships, invaded North American waters, they blocked the water lines of factories, nuclear power plants in the regions of Great Lakes. Just after the arrival of Christopher Columbus’s ships in America in 15th century resulted in worldwide exchange of disease, crops and animals in the 20th century practice of ships using water as ballast helped to unite the formerly diverse world’s harbours. Similarly, air transport allows the spread of insects and diseases that would not easily survive

Whales. Majestic sea creatures, with life spans similar to humans. Unfortunately SeaWorld, the world renowned aquarium park, cuts the lifespan of this beautiful creatures dangerously short. In the documentary, Blackfish, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, they revealed the many atrocities that SeaWorld has committed against the whales to make more profit. However, the documentary is extremely biased against SeaWorld, exaggerating several key facts throughout the duration of the film.

The members sought help from Lake Tahoe experts to discuss prevention programs and to get their overall input on the issue. In order to prevent the clams from spreading to different areas of the lake and to different lakes in the surrounding areas, a few programs were discussed and later put into action. One important program was the Boat Launch Steward Program. In this program stewards were hired for the summer to work at boat launches around the lake. The stewards thoroughly checked boats for invasives and removed any if found before the boats were allowed to enter or be removed from the lake. In addition, the stewards also educated boaters on the harmful invasives found in the lake and the importance of not spreading the species to surrounding lakes. With the help of Lake Tahoe representatives, half a dozen inspection and decontamination sites were established around lake George at major boat