Asian Carp

36 Pages·2008·0.704 MB·English

by  Barbara A. Somervill

21st
Century
Skills Library
ANIMAL INVADERS
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Barbara A. Somervill
Cher r y Lake Publishing
Ann Ar bor, Michigan
Published in the United States of America by Cherry Lake Publishing
Ann Arbor, MI
www.cherrylakepublishing.com
Content Adviser: Duane Chapman, Research Fisheries Biologist, USGS Columbia
Environmental Research Center, Columbia, Missouri
Please note: Our map is as up-to-date as possible at the time of publication.
Photo Credits: Cover and pages 1, 21, and 23, Courtesy of Chris Young/The State
Journal-Register; page 4, Courtesy of Michael Smith, Illinois Natural History Survey;
pages 6 and 15, © USDA APHIS PPQ Archive, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org;
pages 8, 11, and 19, Courtesy of USGS; page 13, © Tony Wear, used under license from
Shutterstock, Inc.; page 17, © blickwinkel/Alamy; page 25, Courtesy of Jason Jenkins,
University of Missouri; page 26, Chicago Tribune photo by Zbigniew Bzdak; used with
permission of the Chicago Tribune
Map by XNR Productions Inc.
Copyright ©2008 by Cherry Lake Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any
form or by any means without written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Somervill, Barbara A.
Asian carp / By Barbara A. Somervill.
p. cm.—(Animal invaders)
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-60279-118-3
ISBN-10: 1-60279-118-X
1. Carp—United States—Juvenile literature. 2. Introduced fishes—United
States—Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series.
QL638.C94S65 2008
597’.482—dc22 2007035252
Cherry Lake Publishing would like to acknowledge the work of
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
Please visitwww.21stcenturyskills.org for more information.
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C H A P T E R O N E
Not Your Average Goldfish 4
C H A P T E R T W O
Asian Carp Species 8
C H A P T E R T H R E E
Fish Invaders 13
C H A P T E R F O U R
Asian Carp Problems 17
C H A P T E R F I V E
Steps to Solutions 23
Map 28
Glossary 30
For More Information 31
Index 32
About the Author 32
CHAPTER ONE
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Asian carps jump into the air below a lock and dam in Peoria, Illinois.
W
hen the summer heat soars, some people in Peoria,
Illinois, go out on the Illinois River to take part in a new
sport. It’s called bow fishing. Fishers use bows and arrows
4 21st CENTURY SKILLSLIBRARY
earning
to shoot Asian silver carp as they leap out
I
&
nnovation
of the water and over their boats. The
Skills
Fishers on the Illinois
carp are huge. Some weigh 60 pounds
River have had to deal
with an oversupply of
(27 kilograms). And they can jump 10
carp in the river—and
feet (3 meters) out of the water! not enough of the fish
species they would
Asian silver carp are an invasive rather be catching.
Now, they are selling
species in many rivers and lakes in the Asian carp in local
markets. Fishers and
United States. An invasive species is any
fish sellers say that the
name Asian carp is
plant or animal that moves into—and
unappealing to buyers.
Some have suggested
takes over—an area where it does not
renaming the fish to
make it sound more
naturally live.
appealing.
Do you think that it
These Asian silver carp smell like
is right to change the
rotting bait and can be dangerous. name of the fish to try
to get more people
The jumping fish have struck many to buy it? Why or
why not?
water-skiers, personal watercraft
operators, and boaters, causing serious
cuts and broken noses and arms. They
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When water plants such as hydrilla take over a lake, officials in
some areas have released Asian carp species to feed on the plants.
can also be destructive. Silver carp damage boats and
destroy fishnets.
In Marksville, Louisiana, the future of Spring Bayou
may rest in the eating habits of Asian grass carp, a close
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relative of the silver carp. Spring Bayou is a 2,700-acre
(1,093 hectare) lake that became choked with plants such
as hydrilla, water lilies, and water hyacinth. By July 2007,
nearly 85 percent of the lake was completely clogged.
One answer to the excessive plant growth was to lower
the lake’s water level to kill some of the plant life. Another
suggestion was to release Asian grass carp into Spring
Bayou. Grass carp eat large quantities of water plants.
Grass carp have been used to clean up other lakes
in Louisiana that have too much plant life. Officials in
Marksville are considering using them for Spring Bayou.
But they also know that the grass carp is an invasive
species and could take over the lake in ways that won’t
be helpful.
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CHAPTER TWO
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Grass carp (top) and black carp are two Asian carp species
that have invaded rivers and lakes in North America.
S
everal species of Asian carp swim the waters of the
United States. They are all native to rivers in Asia. The
carps most recently introduced to this part of the world
are grass, bighead, silver, and black carp. Common carp
is another Asian carp species. Each species has its own
feeding pattern and way of life.
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