Asian Carp In The Great Lakes

Asian Carp In the Great Lakes The Great Lakes are in immense danger of an incredibly invasive species known as the Asian Carp. Asian Carp have been located just nine miles away from the Great Lakes. They are known to feed on algae and plankton. With that being said, the average size of an Asian Carp is around 40 pounds and they can eat up to 40% of their body weight each day. Being such an invasive and rapidly-producing organism allows for carp to be considered a dominant and nuisance species overall. Moreover, one of the main causes of the rising population of carp is that they do not have any distinctly known predators, which means carp do not have to compete with any sort of competition. As a result, the effect on a species with no predators

Carp take over areas in rivers that native fish claim as their habitats. They are able to take over these habitats so easily because of the lack of predators. The Grass Carp destroys the key plants that native fish use to spawn and bed in. Not only do these fish spawn and bed here, but some also feed on it. This creates a lack of food sources for the native fish. Silver Carp are notorious for jumping out of the water when disturbed. According to the Asian Carp Fact Sheet “Additionally, silver carp pose a direct threat to human health due to their propensity to leap high out of the water when disturbed by vibrations like those commonly caused by recreational watercraft. Boaters can and have been injured when hit by leaping fish weighing up to 40 pounds” (np). Like stated above, carp are extremely dominant. Many of the native fish are unable to compete with them, which could eventually lead to their extinction. The Asian Carp Response in the Midwest states: “The presence of Asian carp in the Great Lakes could cause declines in abundances of native fish species. Asian carp will compete with native fish for food—native fish like cisco's, bloaters, and yellow perch, which in turn are fed upon by predator species including lake trout and walleye” (np). Another consequence is the poor quality of water that carp cause when they enter into new waters. They are known to be responsible for the unpredictable and disastrous results in habitats. As stated by Hansen, M. “Asian carp are like zebra mussels, which also prey on the base of aquatic food webs, and can thereby reorganize nutrient and energy flow with unpredictable consequences on native species” (np). The U.S. is at a loss of millions of dollars because of the threat Asian Carp pose on the Great Lakes. Another main concern of the overpopulation carp is the effect they propose on the fishing industry. Asian Carp Overview