Flying pigs may not be a common sight, but these days, flying fish are. The jumping Asian carp invasion is old news to most people, but lately there has been a lot of controversy over their threat to the Great Lakes.

Invasive species, like Asian carp, threaten biodiversity and impose enormous costs. The Defenders of Wildlife is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural environments.

Invasive species are a threat, according to their Web site, because they have no natural enemies to limit reproduction and they can therefore spread rapidly. They also claim the U.S. spends an estimated $137 billion annually to control invasive species and the damages that they inflict.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Asian carp, specifically the bighead and silver species, first arrived in the 1970s.

The fish were imported by catfish farmers to remove algae from their ponds.

A large amount of flooding in the early 1990s caused many of the catfish farm ponds to overflow and the carp were released into local waterways in the Mississippi River basin. Ever since then, the carp have steadily moved northward.

Not all invasive species are intentionally introduced; however, one contributing factor to invasive species is exotic pet ownership. Mike Corray, owner of PETropics, knows firsthand how exotic pets contribute to the overpopulation of invasive

species.

“Illinois pet stores, regulated mostly by the Department of Agriculture and less so by the Department of Natural Resources, currently have numerous restrictions on various species of fish for just such reasons,”

Corray said. “The trade in both indigenous and exotic animals is greatly restricted to minimize their effects on local populations.”

Corray said many invasive species are not a problem because of the climate.

“The threat from a large number of non-native fishes is not as great as it is in warmer southern states because most tropical fish and other exotic pets can’t survive our harsh winter weather here,” Corray said.

Many Eastern students own pets, and some are exotic. Corray said there are several steps pet owner need to take to avoid introducing invasive species.

“People need to be informed consumers when beginning the search for a new pet, including fish,” Corray said. “Current owners need to be responsible and take their commitment to pet ownership seriously.”

Duane Chapman, a research fisheries biologist at the Columbia Environmental Research Center in Columbia, Mo., said that the bighead and silver species of Asian carp need a large river to reproduce.

“Larger rivers in your area will have them if they are not blocked by dams,” Chapman said.”They are not creatures of small streams, but if someone was to move the fish into lakes, reservoirs or ponds they can be very damaging if in sufficient numbers, even if they are not reproducing.”

Cassie Bartolucci can be reached at 581-7942 or

[email protected]