The Asian Carp Invasion

The Asian carp is an invasive fish species that

currently inhabits the waterways of the United States and
Canada. A species is a group of organisms that possess
similar characteristics and can breed to reproduce fertile
offspring. An invasive species is a species that is not native
to an area but was brought into that region. It is also
referred to as an exotic species. Asian carp were brought
from Asia to North America and were placed in retention
ponds. Retention ponds are used to hold storm water,
prevent flooding and improve the water quality of nearby
rivers. Unfortunately flooding in these areas carried these
fish into the Mississippi river; from there they spread into
connected waterways and lakes, having a significant effect
on the aquatic biomes that they inhabited. Different
variations of Asian carp inhabit different aquatic zones. The
littoral zone is where plant life grows, which is near the shore. The limnetic zone is the area
close to the surface of the water but is not in proximity to the shore; therefore, no rooted plant
life exists in this zone. Under the limnetic zone, the profundal zone is found; decomposers
inhabit this area, and sunlight cannot be detected at this depth. The grass carp prefers the
littoral zone in the summer months, but the profundal zone during the winter season. Bighead
and silver carp live in the limnetic zone, and black carp reside in the profundal zone.

A limiting factor is anything in an organism’s ecosystem that limits the population growth
or health of the species. Asian carp have affected their aquatic biomes greatly by becoming a
major limiting factor for many plant and animal species in their biome; this is done through
predation and interspecific competition. The Asian carp can eat up to 5-20 percent of their body
weight each day, which can work out to be eight pounds for the largest fish, leaving little or no
food for other fish species to eat. Predators are limited by competition, prey is limited by
predation. As the populations of many fish species that are devoured by Asian carp decrease,
there is also an increase in the food source of the prey, and a decrease in the population of
predators who cannot compete with the Asian carp. Variations of Asian carp can reach seven
feet in length and weigh up to 100 pounds upon entering adulthood. For this reason, adults are
not largely affected by aquatic predation. According to the Illinois News Bureau, and the
International Journal of Applied Science and Technology, the population of this invasive species
has increased exponentially. Only the juvenile Asian carp is small enough to regularly become
prey to another fish species in its ecological range. Young Asian carp require long waterways to
completely mature. This is a limiting factor to Asian carp because if they are not free to
reproduce and inhabit the lengthy rivers required, they will eventually become extirpated from
that area. There are limiting factors to in our environment as well. One example is the
availability of work. The lack of income in our country results in a lack of food and water. In
many countries water is scarce throughout and becomes a large limiting factor to everyone in
that country.

There are abiotic and biotic components in every ecosystem. Biotic components are the
living organisms that exist within an ecosystem and have an effect on it. Some biotic
components of this fish’s ecosystem are other fish species that eat juvenile Asian carp,
organisms such as plankton that are eaten by Asian carp, plants, and birds that feed on carp. A
few biotic components in our environment are the people in our lives: friends, family,
acquaintances and strangers. A few more biotic components are our pets, other plants and
animals which we encounter in the area where we reside. Abiotic components in an ecosystem
are the non-living things that interact with the rest of the environment that they are in. Water,
oxygen dissolved in water, sunlight, dirt and rocks are all examples of abiotic components found
in the Asian carp’s ecosystem. Many of these components also appear in our ecosystem; we
are affected by oxygen levels, sunlight, soil, rocks and manmade structures.

The exotic Asian carp, after being brought to the United States for use in retention
ponds, is currently impacting Canadian and US waterways and lakes in very negative ways.
Populations of many species of fish are currently decreasing dramatically because of the Asian
carp due to predation and interspecific competition. An overwhelming amount of Canadian and
US dollars have been spent in an effort to control this invasive species and push it out of the
invaded areas. As we gain more knowledge about the Asian carp, this process will likely
become easier, although unfortunately, not less costly.

Citations

Tomelleri, Joe. (2012). Asian Carp. Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Program.
http://www.invadingspecies.com/asian-carps/ (March 16, 2018)

Asian Carp Response in the Midwest. AsianCarp.us http://www.asiancarp.us/faq.htm (March 16,

2018)

Asian Carps: Bighead Carp, Silver Carp, black Carp, Grass Carp. Wildlife and Parks Forests
Quebec. http://mffp.gouv.qc.ca/english/wildlife/fishing/species/asian-carps.jsp (March 16, 2018)

Ahlberg, A.L. (2013) Model developed to track eggs of Asian Carp, and invasive species. Illinois
News Bureau. https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/204767 (March 19, 2018)

Oh, H.O. (2014) Mathematical Modeling of Asian Carp Invasion in the Upper Mississippi River
System. International Journal of Applied Science and Technology.
http://www.ijastnet.com/journals/Vol_4_No_2_March_2014/6.pdf (March 19, 2018)