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Name:
Introduced Species Information
Name of Species:
(include scientific name,
common name, and
classification)
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Species:
Distribution:
Where is it from? Where,
when, and why was it
introduced? Where can it be
found today?
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Hypophthalmichthys nobilis
COMMON NAME: Bighead Carp
This fish may also be referred to as noble fish, speckled amur, or lake fish.
Effects on People:
How do people use/interact
with this species? What, if any,
consequences are there for
humans?
Bighead Carp can pose a direct threat to boaters. When startled, the fish launch
themselves out of the water, turning into 40-pound projectiles that could easily
smash into a fisherman’s or a skier’s face!
Fishermen in the Great Lakes will lose their livelihood if the Bighead Carp come
in and destroy the other fish that live there. Tourism, so also money and other
jobs in the state of Michigan will be affected.
They are eating machines; bighead Carp can grow incredibly quickly and
reproduce rapidly as well. That's what makes them so dangerous to the lakes.
Asian Carp aren't direct predators, but they eat plankton, which knocks out the
bottom layers of the food chain. If they were to successfully establish
themselves in the Great Lakes and start breeding, they could utterly disrupt the
existing ecosystem, potentially starving out the trout and other native fish that
make the Great Lakes a tourism hot spot.
Effects on Ecosystem:
What changes have been
observed in the ecosystem
since the species’ introduction?
How have other organisms
been affected?
Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Cypriniformes
Cyprinidae
Hypophthalmichthys
H. molitrix
The bighead Carp are native to China.
Catfish farmers in the U.S. imported Asian Carp decades ago to eat up the
algae in their ponds; the fish slowly escaped into the wild and have been
making their way up the Mississippi River.
Currently this fish has expanded its range to include the United States. Bighead
Carp are found throughout much of the Mississippi River basin and is
reproducing in this area also. Bighead Carp have also been reported in every
large river system in Indiana up to a dam that blocks upstream movement.
Reasons for Success:
What information can you find
about the species that might
explain why it is successful in
its new environment? (e.g.
habitat needs, roles within
ecosystem, etc.)
Bighead Carp are a freshwater fish, so the Great Lakes are the perfect habitat
for them. There is also plenty of plankton for them to eat in the Great Lakes.
Issues for the Future:
Are the attempts to control the
growth spread of this species?
What are the options? What
are the trade-offs of each of
The Army Corps of Engineers put an electric barrier in the canal to prevent the
carp from coming into Lake Michigan.
Others want the locks of the Chicago canal to be shut down immediately, to
prevent the carp from ever gaining a finhold in the Great Lakes.
Illinois lawmakers argue that closing the canal would disrupt hundreds of
these options?
millions of dollars' worth of shipping.
The White House has taken action as well. Federal officials announced $78.5
million in funding to prevent the spread of Asian carp; plans include building
new barriers between the Chicago canal and the Des Plaines River.
The trade-offs of each of these options are the cost involved.