Asian carp 'invaded' waters in Canada and the United States

Local Canadian officials are very worried about the emergence of Asian carp in the Saint Lawrence River.

The provincial government is seeking ways to prevent the abundance of this fish in the system of key rivers, lakes and canals.

According to a reporter in Canada, the Quebec Provincial Wildlife Department (Ke Go) said the Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing from the southwest to the northeast in the North of North America, through the Great Lakes (the 5 largest lakes America) with the Atlantic Ocean.

The river flows in part through Canada and Ontario provinces. The emergence of Asian carp in this river leads to a high risk of spreading in the Canadian river system.

Earlier, the Quebec Provincial Wildlife Department surveyed 110 locations on Saint Lawrence in 2015-2016 and found Asian carp in at least 16 locations.

The provincial government warned of the "invasion " of Asian carp that could cause millions of Canadian dollars (CAD) damage to the provincial economy.

Asian carp is known to be a fish that is well adapted to the new environment.(Source: cbc.ca).

Currently, Quebec authorities have not found a viable solution to prevent the invasion of Asian carp.

In the immediate future, in January, the provincial government issued a ban on the use of live bait fish for fishing this summer. The ban will be studied extensively in other seasons.

The Quebec Provincial Wildlife Department also plans to consult scientists and people on how to limit the invasion of Asian carp to the inland waters of the province.

Asian carp is known to be a fish that is well adapted to the new environment. In addition to swimming well and avoiding very good nets, they are omnivores, which can eat up to 40% of their body weight.

With a length usually 50-90cm, can weigh more than 50kg, Asian carp consumes a large amount of food including other aquatic species.

They destroyed many local fish on the way, destroying the ecosystem where it lived.

Each Asian carp can lay up to 2 million eggs for a single spawning, so this fish grows very fast, forming large herds of hundreds.

Not only in Canada, the invasion of Asian carp is still a headache for many American states.

Americans brought Asian carp into ponds and lagoons in the southern part of the country in the 1970s.

They use carp to clean catfish ponds, helping them to be healthier. However, this "green" initiative becomes counterproductive when carp escape into the Mississippi River and breed, then enter the Great Lakes, threatening the lives of local aquatic organisms.

According to the researchers, Asian carp consume up to a fifth of plankton in the Great Lakes, threatening the $ 4 billion / year fishing and tourism industry in these five lakes.

In order to prevent the spread of this fish, the Americans erected barriers to separate the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes.