How they arrived:
Naturally from Southeast Asia, the Asian Carp were imported to the United States in the 1970s to filter pond water in fish farms in Arkansas. Flooding meant the Asian Carp could escape and they established reproducing populations in the wild by the early 1980s. Currently, Asian carp represent over 97% of the biomass in portions of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers and are spreading rather quickly northward up the Illinois River and in the direction of the Great Lakes.
Negative effects on the Illinois River ecosystem:
Asian Carp in the Illinois River are competing with native species of fish for their sources of food. These fish have taken over a majority of the population in this river. This is a problem because the Carp are eating mass amounts of plankton and other small organisms that fish native to this rivers depend on. This is causing an uneven shift in the food web for these ecosystems. The carp are also threatening the migratory birds that depend on the diverse feeding in the river.
Asian Carp are also harmful towards boaters. Here they can be seen leaping out of the water potentially injuring boaters.
Possible Strategies to reduce the populations:
Because the spread of the Asian Carp is very dangerous for our waterways, there are a couple of strategies that could possibly lessen the amount of fish in the water. One strategy would be to catch the fish and sell it. In some places in China, this fish is a popular food item. So, some markets here are trying to spread the awareness that the Asian Carp actually tastes good. Additionally, because the species is popular in Chinese culture, a possibility would be to allow companies from Asia to fish in our waterways. A study predicted that fishing this species could reduce the population by 95% in 5 years. Another possible strategy would be to create bubble barriers in the waterways. These barriers would create "a bubble curtain accompanied by LED strobe lights and sound frequencies that only Asian Carp are sensitive to."
Natural Predators:
“Asian carp were found in the stomachs of channel catfish, flathead catfish, largemouth bass, white bass, black crappie, white crappie, and gar species.” While many of the native fish species are able to eat Asian carp that are around 4 years, there are currently no native fish that are large enough to eat an adult. Other fish, such as the Great Lakes muskellunge are slowly being reintroduced to the river systems in hopes that they can eat the larger adults.
What’s being done:
Stopping the spread of asian carp into the the Great Lakes is the main focus. They use many strategies to stop the spread like, electric barriers, carpicides, building physical fences, and harvesting the fish. The main ones being used is the electric barrier in the Chicago Shipping Canal. This barrier repels the fish, but is not a fail safe system. Another main way to stop the spread is harvesting them by having fishing tournaments, and using them in canned food. With the Asian Carp being a high demand fish in Asia Illinois has entered into a partnership with Beijing Zhuochen Animal Husbandry Company, a Chinese meat producer, and Big River Fisheries.
Looking ahead:
The outbreak of the Asian Carp in American waterways (rivers, lakes, and streams) has been devastating far beyond the Illinois River. Looking ahead there are many ways we, as a population, can prevent the further spread of Asian Carp and other potentially dangerous invasive species. First and foremost, never release fish from one body of water into another, this way you can be sure to never accidentally introduce a new species to a waterway.
However, invasive species can also be spread accidentally, there are five steps you can take to make sure that will never happen: Check, Clean, Drain, Dry, and Disinfect. First, check your boat, fishing equipment, or anything that was in the water, for fish, clams, or any other kind of animals. Next, clean any plants, animals, or dirt that happen to be stuck to your boat, boating gear, and equipment. Dispose of these things in an upland area or a spot designated by where your boat is. Then drain all areas of your boat that hold water, including live wells. Finally, dry your boat and other equipment fully before using it in another waterway. If you cannot dry your equipment before it’s next use make sure you disinfect fully whatever came in contact with water.
One final way to help is to simply spread the word! The more people who know about the problem with Asian Carp the easier it will be stop them from spreading and stop another instance like this from happening.
Why are Asian Carp Useful to Your Classroom
Asian Carp can be a creative topic to focus on many science standards through the elementary grade levels. These include the food web/chain topics that need to be covered in fourth grade, L.EC.04.11 and L.EC.04.21, as well as in sixth grade, L.EC.06.23. Asian Carp can also be a good way to introduce the topic of how ecosystems change with and without human interaction, as required in sixth grade, L.EC.06.32 and L.EC.06.41.
Strategies to Use While Teaching
When teaching this subject, it is important to relate the topic back to the students so that they can become interested in the topic. So, when teaching about the Asian Carp, it is important to remind your students that our Great Lakes and their ecosystems are in danger of being overtaken by this invasive species. A possible strategy to use when teaching this would be to have the students brainstorm about what will happen to the ecosystems if this invasive species spreads throughout the lakes.
To get your students to interact with the content, a game called Invasion!! on BrainPop.com allows the student to take charge of the Asain Carp problem and try to combat in through a simulation. After playing this game, students will see how hard it is to stop the spread of this species once it is in the waterways and also how the waterways are affected.
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By: Alexis Cole, Samantha Daigle, Jessica Davis, and Zak Kemper.
I love your post about the Asian Carp, now being rebranded Copi fish. I am currently writing a PBL unit for my 6th-7th graders and came across your blog. Thanks!
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