Transcript Lecture5-2008

Lecture 5. September 5, 2008 - Asian Carp & Introduced Species
1. Who are the Carps?
2. Details on common, grass carp, silver, bighead, and black carp.
- Why were they introduced?
- What do they do?
- Are they problematic?
3. Reasons why fish are introduced into our waters?
Saturday - trip to Illinois River Station at Havana
Leave from the Vivarium at 8 am.
Bring a lunch.
We will mainly be out on the boats, but we will bring waders also. It might be
somewhat cold.
We will be on the water for 4-5 hours. We will probably leave for Champaign
at 3 or 4pm.
Dinner on the road if we are running late. Bring some $$.
Just to be safe, bring a change of clothes. You don’t want to be wet for 2 hours
on the ride back to town.
Asian Carp
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/26/eveningnews/main523372.shtml
The term “Asian Carp” can be used to refer to any of these 5 species
that have been introduced in the U.S.
Common Carp - Cyprinus carpio
Grass Carp - Ctenopharyngodon idella
Bighead Carp - Hypophthalmichthys nobilis
Silver Carp - Hypophthalmichthys molitrix
Black Carp - Mylopharyngodon piceus
Common Carp
Silver carp
Grass carp
Bighead carp
Black carp
Common Carp
Big head carp
Silver carp
Silver Carp jump out of the water and sometimes hurt people.
They compete with some of our most enigmatic fishes such
as paddlefish.
Will Silver & Bighead Carp make it into Lake Michigan?
Silver carp
Bighead carp
The commercial fisherman who
captured the Louisiana specimen
reported catching "different-looking
grass carp" for the past eight years.
Another (or the same fisherman?)
reports catching two-three a year for
about 12 years (Watson 2004).
fathead minnow
bluntnose minnow
bullhead minnow
Bullhead minnow
Fathead minnow
Bluntnose minnow
mayan cichlid
Black acara
Butterfly Peacock
Snakehead
Family Channidae
Swamp Eel
Family Synbranchidae
Round Goby
Sea Lamprey - Invaded
Great Lakes when the
Welland Canal was created
around Niagara Falls.
Alewife - Also invaded Great Lakes after creation of Welland Canal.
-At time, no big predators due to large numbers of sea lamprey so
alewife populations exploded.
-Now valued as a forage food for salmonids, but exert strong competitive
pressure on whitefish & perch.
Review Questions.
1. What species are “Asian Carp”? There are two different answers to this
questions. Are “Asian Carp” a monophyletic group?
2. How did the various species of Asian Carp end up in the U.S.? What was
the rationale for bringing them here? Which species are currently problematic?
How do they effect their communities?
3. Some people advocate only using triploid individuals of carp for stocking. What
is the rationale behind this? What are some of the drawbacks? List 2.
4. List 7 reasons why exotic species get introduced. For each reason, name a
species that has been introduced and explain the effect it has had.
5. In your opinion, will Black Carp become another problematic exotic species?
Defend your answer.
6. Black Carp have been listed as an “Injurious Species.” What does this mean
for its importation and transportation? Can fish be transported between states?
Can fish be transported within states? What are the drawbacks of having legislation
concerning exotic species protocols at the state level?