An ecosystem is an interacting environment with a working balance of predators and prey. That means every animal in the ecosystem plays a role in the survival of the animals around them, even if they are the predators. But if something new and foreign invades an ecosystem, it can upset the balance and cause a lot of problems.
This is happening right now in the United States, and the government is fighting back.
On February 8, 2010, Federal officials announced a plan to stop the Asian carp invasion. Scientists are afraid that if these fish get into the U.S. Great Lakes, they could destroy the region’s fishing industry because they eat the same food perch and salmon do, and they have no known predators. All other efforts to control the species have failed. This new plan will cost $78.5 million, and involves 25 short and long term actions that Federal, state and local groups will work together on. It’s almost like a space invasion movie, as military and government groups are working together to fight the aliens.
The four kinds of Asian Carp are huge. They weigh as much as a large dog, 40-80 pounds, and can eat up to 60% of their own weight. The silver carp often jumps into the air when startled, which can cause harm to people fishing or waterskiing, and maybe even to the fish they land on when they come back down.
Drastic measure are being taken. Watch this story from CBS news to learn more.
