Common+Carp+Harmful+Effects

Negative effects on ecosystem The common carp harms the natural ecosystems by muddying the waters, thus stunting plant growth which birds need to migrate. (This has been proved by a decrease in waterfowl). They can easily spread through channels and ditches. The mild winters that we are experiencing are just perpetuating the problem by not freezing deep enough to kill undesired fish. The immigrants in the early times pressured the U.S. government to introduce the European (highly regarded) fish to the streams. The carp dominate the systems because of their long life and large size. They crowd into shallow bays or headwater sloughs to reproduce. Eggs hatch in ten to twenty days and grow fast. The reach a length of 20cm in the first year. They have no natural predators. They uproot the aquatic macrophytes when spawning and feeding. They also suspend the bottom sand and nutrients letting less sunlight through. (needed for macrophyte growth). Less plankton are a result of predation and eliminating the cover plants. Both the adult and juvenile fish are effected by the loss of plankton. The cover for larva and fry plus the substrate for eggs are destroyed. Video at []