If you engage in outdoor sports, or just enjoy recreational fishing you might have heard about the issue with Asian carp unleashing devastating fury upon the rivers and tributaries of America. There had been many issues with this species of fish. For those who don’t know, this is an invasive species that has its natural root’s in central Asia freshwater river systems. A migration of Asian immigrants has been consistent in Missouri throughout the decades, and some have started farm raising carp. In spring of 1993, a flood ravaged the midwest, particularly river based communities flooding the country side villages and towns. Significant damage impacts all on all the communities from North Kansas City following upstream to Parkville assorted other river communities and so forth.
The species has been an outgoing battle for most of the continental United States for nearly 20 years. Biologists have been trying to figure out how the species has multiplied to rapidly, and rearrange the hierarchy of the food chain in fresh water systems. The fish has also reproduced with other exotic species of the carp gene pool. These species vary in activity, weight, length, feeding cycle, depth of water and climates. Different theories have been brainstormed on how to eliminate the species from the ecosystem. Lots of non-profit community activists have got to drastic measures such as fish kills and fishing tournaments. These fish have been slaughtered at will of eco-friendly enthusiasts and biologists.
Many different individuals have theories on why this species is considered a negative branch for North American ecosystems. With the addition of this fish invasion, the species has no natural predator and grows in big numbers, quickly. The science of the species is quite intriguing, but comes with a serious consequence for perfect habits, such as the Missouri Rivers, and lakes. Without a natural predator, the fish freely devours anything in its way. Asian Carp changes the course of the food chain, by passing other top species such as, largemouth bass, all species of Catfish, turtles, muskrats, snakes and etc. As one could see where this problem can lead to.
Recent data has come back from the Columbia Environmental Research department suggesting that our fears of a top notch predator with fins are losing its numbers in the Missouri river. The reasoning behind this suggests for the past decades the fish has consumed metric tons of freshwater fish from all possible parts of the ecosystem and the population is starving itself. Not to say we will never have an Asian carp becoming extinct in our world that just isn’t possible. But the data implies large, multi-spawning schools of fish won’t have a fighting edge compared to the smaller populations.
However, even reading that information sounds quite terrible. That indicates to myself fish populations must be drastically lower than usual, consumed and eaten by the more aggressive, A-pex predator of the freshwater world. As a conservationist this angers myself who uses the river for a source of food, nourishment and countless hours gazing at the sunsets overlooking the bodies of water. Even with threats of invasion species polluting our water systems, after a short while they become an essential part of our ecosystem, brought over threw the course of man’s evolution. Like it or not the fish are here to stay, but likely with less numbers as the population is slipping further down into extinction zone. Hopefully in another 20 years or so, we can restore proper fish populations to their native environments.
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