Killer shrimp 'annexed' African creatures

A species of shrimp that people in the south of the United States often buy to process food is expanding and massively destroying creatures in Africa.

>>> Finding "Noel Lobster" is as white as snow

National Geographic reports that Louisiana copper shrimp , also known as red swamp shrimp , is destroying freshwater fish, fish eggs, mollusks, crustaceans and aquatic plants in Africa. With an average length of about 15cm and being able to move in a "upright" position , they are raging in ponds, lakes and rivers in Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Egypt and many other countries. .

Conservationists worry that red swamp shrimp will move to East African countries like Malawi, Tanganyika and Victoria. The freshwater lakes in East Africa are home to thousands of species of creatures that humans cannot find elsewhere.

'By destroying animals and plants in rivers, lakes and swamps, red swamp shrimp can disrupt the ecological balance and reduce precious ecological functions , ' Geoffrey Howard said. , global coordinator of invasive species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), said.

A red swamp shrimp in Lake Naivasha in Kenya. (Photo: National Geographic)

Kenya and South Africa were the first two countries in Africa to import red swamp shrimp in the 1970s. They were raised in aquariums, marine parks before people stocked them in Lake Naivasha in Kenya to feed. They are sold to Scandinavia, where they are considered specialty. Earlier Kenya also had copper shrimp, but they were all dead by a disease.

'Nobody thought that red swamp shrimp was a threat at the time, but in fact they had a negative impact on seafood resources in Lake Naivasha. Because they eat fish eggs and small fish, the number of fish in the lake drops sharply , "Howard said.

Red swamp shrimp continues to be released into freshwater areas around Nairobi, Kiambu and Limuru cities of Kenya to kill snails carrying parasites. But because shrimps burrow in dams, rivers and lakes, the infrastructure and appearance of some areas have changed dramatically in the negative direction. For example, the burrowing of shrimps causes water in the channels to leak, smash and collapse, and the river banks and lakes erode.

Without natural enemies, being able to adapt to the environment, red swamp shrimp is actually a successful invasive species.

'They can move in standing position while swimming upstream. Swimming down the river and stream is easy for them , 'Howard said.

Arne Witt, an expert of the Center for International Agricultural Biology (CABI), said that red swamp shrimp also has the ability to change food according to environmental conditions. They can eat many species, from plankton to amphibians.

'Many aquatic plants disappear by the voracious swamp shrimp' , Witt said.

The voracious appetite of red swamp shrimp reduces the bait of fish, birds and many other predators.