Asian carp breeding in Great Lakes basin

By on November 8, 2013
Grass carp (Credit: USGS)

Grass carp (Credit: USGS)


A species of Asian carp has made its home in the Great Lakes watershed and may prove detrimental to native species, NPR reported.

A study published by the USGS and Bowling Green State University revealed that Asian carp are breeding naturally in the Lake Erie basin. For the study, scientists collected specimens from the Sandusky River in Ohio.

The USGS has stated that grass carp — the variety confirmed to be living in the Sandusky — are known to devour large quantities of aquatic plants. If their feeding and reproduction continues unchecked, the spawning behavior of native fish could be severely impacted.

The grass carp, however, are of less concern to scientists than the bighead and silver carp, both of which are fast breeders capable of consuming great amounts of plankton.

Image: Grass carp (Credit: USGS, via Wikimedia Commons)

One Comment

    HELOOOOO 2
  1. Pingback: Canada Opens First Lab Dedicated to Asian Carp Research - Lake Scientist

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

FishSens SondeCAM HD