The Asian carp refers to a fish species that many wildlife protection agencies have voiced their concern about for a long time. The American government introduced the Asian carp species in the country in 1963 to help in the control and regulation of the catfish farms and government fisheries in Mississippi and Arkansas. However, flooding of the rivers in the two regions created an escape root for the fish. Initially the American government brought in the grass carp in 1963 to help in controlling the issue. However, the silver, white and bighead carps arrived in the nation in 1970s. Several studies have shown that the Asian carp has caused many problems to the fish species in the various ecosystems in which they are found. The Asian carp initially inhabited the rivers region but the flooding caused them to escape their initial place of habitation. The escape has posed a great deal of threat for aquatic life living in the great lakes such as Michigan. This is because, the Asian carp posses various levels of threat to the aquatic species as discussed below.
Effects of the Asian Carps to the ecosystem
A research study by Freedman, Burtler, and Wahl (2011) has shown that the Asian Carp species poses great danger to the local fish groups found in not only the river ecosystem but also affect the species found in the great lakes such as Michigan. The first problem that the Asian carp has caused on the fish species in the areas in which they found is that they interfere with the food web and the food chain in the biomass. The study by Gurino (2010) indicates that the Asian fish eat large amounts of food within a short time. It is clear that they can feed on a lot of food within a short period hence causing the other fish to go hungry. A research study by Stern, Upton, & Broughter (2014) also shows that the Asian carp feeds on large amounts of zooplanktons and phytoplantons in the biomass in which they live. Some of the commonly known Asian carp species include the big head, silver carp, and the grass carp.
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Moreover, it is shown that Asian carp can eat food enough to make one third of their body weight within one day. This means that if the fish is supposed to weigh 90 pounds in its adult stage, then it will eat food enough to make it gain 30 pounds within one day. Thus, it is clear that the Asian carp has the tendency of eating too much food within a short time thereby interfering with the food web in the biomass in which they are found. The other problem caused by eating too much food within a short time is that the Asian carp takes part in the depletion of eateries meant for the survival of other native fish species. Thus, their ability to eat a lot of food puts the other fish species at risk of starvation due to lack of adequate amount of food to feed on.
The other problem that the Asian carp species poses in their ecosystem is that they reproduce quickly. It is clear from studies that the Asian carp are capable of laying over one million eggs within a short time (Naylor, Goldburg, & Primavera, 2000) . Once they lay the eggs, it also takes a shorter time for the egg to hutch, hence, increasing their population in the biomass where they are found. The increased Asian Carp population worsens the levels of competition for food and other valuable materials required by the native fish to live well in their ecosystem. Thus, it is evident that if the Asian Carp fish continues to increase in number in the Lake Michigan biomass, then they will be a threat to the native fish species found in the area. Their large number will create an increased competition for food between them and other fish species found in the area.
Studies has shown that if the number of Asian Carp increases, they will eat the food in the biomass at a faster speed thus, subjecting the native fish type to starvation. Moreover, the increased levels of starvation lead to death and subsequent extinction of the aquatic life in the ecosystem. The other problem of increased rates of reproduction of the Asian carp is that they are likely to drive indigenous fish away from their ecosystem. This will mostly take place once the fish realize that they are facing fierce competitions for food and other products that support their livelihood. The Asian carps are known to be aggressive and can act wild towards other fish with the aim of making them leave the biomass so that they can feed on the zooplanktons and phytoplankton alone. If the indigenous fish migrate to other habitable locations, then ecosystems such as Lake Michigan will lose some of the most important fish species that support both human and aquatic life in the region. Moreover, the rate at which the species eat a lot of food is also harmful not only to the fish but also to other aquatic life in the ecosystem in which they are found.
Studies have also shown that the Asian carp species also eat eggs belonging to indigenous fish species. The act of feeding on the eggs laid by the local fish is lethal because it reduces the number of local species in the ecosystems. The practice of eating the eggs of other fish types is also lethal because it hinders the fish from hutching and continuing their species in the area in which they live. Such an issue is more likely be witnessed in Lake Michigan if he Asian carp increases in number because the more they are, the faster they will eat the fish eggs hence stopping propagation of the local fish species. This might also lead to their extinction in the Lake Michigan biomass.
Other studies have shown that the Asian carp also kills the fish and other preys in the biomass. A research study by Sampson, Chick, and Pegg (2008) reports that the Asian carp are very aggressive and the fact that they feed on large amounts of food also compels them to eat other local fish species. They also eat other fish preys such as keratella, rotifers, trichocerca, and brachionus. The author reports that the fact that the Asian carp feeds on other prey that belongs to the local fish also creates a feeding overlap between them and the indigenous species in the ecosystem. The existence of feeding overlap causes the problem of food unavailability especially to the local fish types because the Asian carps feed on food the most compared to local fish groups found in the biomass. This will lead to the death of the species and the disruption of the live of the local fish groups in the ecosystem.
Competition in any ecosystem is a factor that all species have to deal with all the time. In the same way, the Asian carp and other such species in Lake Michigan ecosystem and other biomass in areas such as river Mississippi and Arkansas also face fierce competition. This level of competition will also be witnessed in other areas such as Lake Michigan if the number of Asian carp increases in the region. To deal with stiff competition, the Asian carp has decided to eat other fish to limit rates at which they have to compete for the little food resources in the ecosystem. A research study by Fafferty (2010) has shown that the big head carp and the silver carp, which are some of the major species that form the Asian carp population along the great lakes region mainly, feed on the zooplanktons and the algae.
It is evident that they consume large amounts of these food so much so that they are capable of eating up to 40% of their body weight in one day (). If the other fish species in the region take part in the consumption of the same food, the Asian carp immediately senses the increased competition for their food as the amount they need on a daily basis reduces. Thus, they end up killing the other fish species to help in the reduction of the competition for the limited food in the biomass.
A research study by Litchman (2010) reports that the Asian carp can be very a nuisance in any ecosystem in which they are found. This is because the species disturb the aquatic life because they jump when agitated. Many anglers use motor boats to fish in regions such as Lake Michigan. Some aquatic life researchers also use similar type of boats and other to navigate the ecosystem as they conduct their research. However, a research study by () has shown that the Asian carp get agitated easily when they hear the sound of a motor boat. When this happens, they always jump up and abut thus disturbing the quiet aquatic life. Constant jumping up and down due to daytime or even night activities by humans leads to constant disruption of fish lives in the ecosystem. When constantly disturbed, the local fish species may be subjected to high levels of stress, which might interfere with their reproductive life cycles.
On the other hand, the fact that the fish jump when agitated by the sound of motor boats is also lethal especially for human who operate the boats. This is because, many people have reported being hurt on several occasions when the fish jump into their boats and causing harm to them. If a large number of the Asian carps scatter around a boat and jump on it, they can cause the boat to capsize hence may lead to the death of the person operating the boat.
Aside from having negative effects on other fish species in the ecosystem in which they live, a research study by Maceda-Veiga, Lopez, and Green (2017) has reported that the presence of the Asian carp has led to the reduction of the number of diving ducts and water birds. The species has played a role in reducing the number of aquatic birds such as the red crested porchard and the white-headed duck, which are considered as endangered species by the UICN. The authors report that the Asian carp constantly feed on these species of birds hence reducing their presence. They also feed on the aquatic food that the birds rely on their survival and livelihood. Lack of enough food for the birds is dangerous because it leads to great starvation that makes them unavailable in the ecosystems in which they live.
The other notable problem that the Asian carp causes in the ecosystem is that it takes part in the destruction of aquatic plays. A research study has shown that the fish moves about aggressively and end up excavating large amounts of sand. The removed sand then pours on the underwater plants, covers them and causes them to wild and die. Thus, the invasive species has a harmful effect on the existence of other aquatic plant species in the ecosystem in which they live. Moreover, the excavated sand also covers the planktons and other algae and may end up reducing the amount of oxygen flow, which also interferes with their growth and development. It is evident that many aquatic and wildlife research protection agents have voiced their concerned with the rate at which the Asian carp has spread and gained entrance into Lake Michigan and wants the population of the species should be controlled to prevent any further movements into the region (Donaldson, Amberg, & Adhikari, 2016) .
The above discussion reveals that the Asian carp arrived in America in 1963 with the aim to help control the cat fish farms in the country. The other species also arrived in the nation in 1970s. Despite the fact that the species served the purpose flow, which they were intended to do, they have also caused alarm to the leaders of the nation. For example, it is clear that the existence of the species have caused various problems such as killing other fish species to reduce competition for the food in the ecosystem in which they live. Similarly, the Asian carp is also lethal because it feeds on the eggs produced by local fish species. This act may reduce the number of fish in the regions in which they live. The Asian carp also feeds on a lot of food at a very short time, an act that leads to lack of food and eventual starvation to the local fish species in the great lakes and other ecosystems. They also reproduce at very high rates hence increasing their population. Moreover, the Asian carp also kill local fish types and has led to the reduction of the number of aquatic birds, which are already considered an endangered species by UICN.
References
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Litchman, E. (2010). nvisible invaders: non-pathogenic invasive microbes in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Ecology Letters. Vol 13 Issue 12 , 1560.
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Naylor, R. L., Goldburg, R. J., & Primavera, J. H. (2000). Effect of aquaculture on world fish supplies. Nature .
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Zang, H., Rutherford, E., Mason, D., Breck, J., & Wittmann, M. (2015). orecasting the Impacts of Silver and Bighead Carp on the Lake Erie Food Web. ransactions of the American Fisheries Society. Vol 145 Issue 1 , 134-139.
