Top 10 Invasive Species

[fishgypsy]

They forgot one...brown trout. Not native here, outcompeting native brook, cutthroat and rainbow trout, yet still stocked and managed. How about rainbow trout east of California, Washington and Oregon? Asian carp are fun to chase on a fly rod.

Oh well, all things find a way to exist where they are at, and for that, we gain another sporting species.

I love how the common carp was an invasive species, and now they are the hottest thing in fly fishing.

Common carp are still an invasive species, regardless of whether or not they are the hottest thing in fly fishing.

There's plenty of evidence to the contrary (all things find a way to exist where they are at)- Yellowfin Cutthroat trout were outcompeted and became extinct due to the introduction of rainbow trout, Alvord cutthroat trout became extinct due to the introduction of rainbow trout, and numerous island species are threatened, endangered, or extinct due to introductions of rodents, dogs, cats, goats, snakes, and other non-native species.

Asian carp may be fun to chase with a flyrod, but they're doing incredible damage to other fisheries, both native and non-native. They're incredibly efficient filter feeders, more so than any native fish in the Mississippi Basin. They have the potential to outcompete nearly all of our native fish for food, creating a biomass shift from a diversity of species to just two- bighead and silver carp. You're not gaining an additional species, you're turning a diverse fishery into a monoculture. That's precisely why they're trying so hard to keep them out of the Great Lakes- there's an enormous potential to damage sport and commercial fisheries. Not to mention the danger they pose to boaters and anglers.

Personally, I don't think adding asian carp is worth declining or losing altogether fisheries for, paddlefish, white bass, striped bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, common carp, bigmouth buffalo, smallmouth buffalo, black buffalo, freshwater drum, blue sucker, spotted sucker, walleye, sauger, burbot, blue catfish, flathead catfish and other species which rely on plankton or gizzard shad (which rely on plankton).

All of the trout in Missouri and Arkansas are non native and have been transplanted here. Rainbows, Cutts, Brookies, and Browns were all brought in to compete with the native smallmouth bass.

For the most part (aside from brown trout), there's little competition between introduced salmonids and native smallmouth bass. Rainbow, brook, and cutthroat trout require cooler water, spawn at different times of the year and in different areas of the stream, and tend to prey on different organisms. I'm sure though, that there is some competition between brown trout and smallmouth bass, though I don't think state agencies brought brown trout into the state for that reason.

[Quillback]

And it should be noted that SM bass don't do very well in the cold water discharge put out by the dams, if the trout weren't there, there would not be much if anything to fish for.

Wayne, I agree with you, we need to find a way to get the commercial fishermen to net those darn carp.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I love how the common carp was an invasive species, and now they are the hottest thing in fly fishing.

Nope, they were brought here on purpose and stocked by the federal government, most in the late 1800's.

I don't see much of a competition between Smallies and trout. There are a few waters where they coexist, but those waters are less than perfect for either.

We can thank the feds for the true invasive species, they just can't learn to shut the barn door before the horse is out, or in in this case.

[fishgypsy]

We can thank the feds for the true invasive species, they just can't learn to shut the barn door before the horse is out, or in in this case.

I think a lot of it relates to economics, logistics and a lack of foresight- it's difficult to inspect every shipping crate entering our country for invasives, it's difficult to inspect every boat for stowaways. And in most instances there's a lot of effort being put into making up for those past mistakes and errors in judgement. Lest we forget the innumerable introductions made without government approval or endorsement- pythons, caimans, nutrias, iguanas, etc. And that a species doesn't need to be from abroad to be invasive- bullfrogs, tiger salamanders, western mosquitofish, rainbow and brook trout, rusty crayfish, and emerald shiners are all native to parts of the United States, but have caused ecological damage elsewhere.

Frankly, I'm not as concerned with the big dramatic species, like kudzu and pythons and flying carp, as I am about the little, easy-to-overlook, highly mobile species. Not to get too far off track, but I'm sometimes fascinated, sometimes disturbed to think what our children's and grandchildren's forests will look like- there are non-native organisms attacking American elm, white walnut (butternut), black walnut, American chestnut, oaks, pines, maples, birches, and ash trees. That doesn't leave much left....

[drew03cmc]

Nope, they were brought here on purpose and stocked by the federal government, most in the late 1800's.

I don't see much of a competition between Smallies and trout. There are a few waters where they coexist, but those waters are less than perfect for either.

We can thank the feds for the true invasive species, they just can't learn to shut the barn door before the horse is out, or in in this case.

I was being facetious, however, I have heard common carp as being labeled an invasive due to their rate of reproduction.

Asian carp, when they are in your waterways, are darn near impossible to get rid of. I am not for the stocking of them anywhere due to the effect they have on native species.

[ozark trout fisher]

Not to get too far off track, but I'm sometimes fascinated, sometimes disturbed to think what our children's and grandchildren's forests will look like- there are non-native organisms attacking American elm, white walnut (butternut), black walnut, American chestnut, oaks, pines, maples, birches, and ash trees. That doesn't leave much left....

Good point. That's kind of a frightening thought.

[Al Agnew]

When you study it a bit, it's amazing and distressing how many species humans have either purposely or accidentally spread that have caused all kinds of trouble. One that really bothers me shows up in huge numbers at our bird feeders--house finches. They were released by some idiot in the St. Louis area many years ago, and for many years they stayed as a small population right in St. Louis. But about 20 years ago they suddenly for no apparent reason started to spread out. They began showing up at our feeders about then (we're about 60 miles from St. Louis. In the period of two years they became extremely abundant, and the native (and to my mind much prettier) purple finches all but disappeared.

Go out in the spring and start looking at "wildflowers". Half the species of wildflowers you'll identify are invasives from Europe, brought over by some doofus who thought they'd be nice looking in their garden, or hitchhiking in as seeds.

We are gradually undoing natural evolution. Species evolve to fill specific ecological niches, and so most areas were once full of species that evolved to fit those particular areas, and their food and predators evolved right along with them. But some species are "generalists", able to thrive in many varied habitats, and those are the ones that humans have spread all over the world. They outcompete the native species that once had the protection of space and distance--they had their range to themselves. And the result is habitats dominated by a few now extremely common and widespread species, instead of the rich diversity they once had. The whole world is getting more and more all the same, instead of having that diversity. The Asian carp in the Mississippi is a great example...at the rate they have spread and thrived at the expense of native species, it's not inconceivable that the whole river will become full of Asian carp and few other fish.

Sometimes I'm glad I don't have kids, and that I probably have no more than another 30-40 years or so to live, tops. Because I am really pessimistic about what the natural world that I love will be like by then.

[jdmidwest]

For the most part (aside from brown trout), there's little competition between introduced salmonids and native smallmouth bass. Rainbow, brook, and cutthroat trout require cooler water, spawn at different times of the year and in different areas of the stream, and tend to prey on different organisms. I'm sure though, that there is some competition between brown trout and smallmouth bass, though I don't think state agencies brought brown trout into the state for that reason.

In the case of most of the streams in Missouri, Current River, Meramec River, Niagua River, Eleven Point River, White River, Norfork River, etc, all supported and still support Smallmouth Bass in the areas of Trout Management. You can catch Smallmouth Bass and Largemouth Bass in the Trout Management portions of these streams. Rainbow trout eat minnows, crayfish, hellgramites, and other insects just like a Smallmouth Bass. Rainbow Trout were introduced into these areas because water quality and temperature allowed them to survive and prosper.

Don't get me wrong, I like to fish for trout very much. I also like to fish for the Smallmouth Bass too. Both are fished for with similar tackle and lures or flies.

[jdmidwest]

When you study it a bit, it's amazing and distressing how many species humans have either purposely or accidentally spread that have caused all kinds of trouble. One that really bothers me shows up in huge numbers at our bird feeders--house finches. They were released by some idiot in the St. Louis area many years ago, and for many years they stayed as a small population right in St. Louis. But about 20 years ago they suddenly for no apparent reason started to spread out. They began showing up at our feeders about then (we're about 60 miles from St. Louis. In the period of two years they became extremely abundant, and the native (and to my mind much prettier) purple finches all but disappeared.

Go out in the spring and start looking at "wildflowers". Half the species of wildflowers you'll identify are invasives from Europe, brought over by some doofus who thought they'd be nice looking in their garden, or hitchhiking in as seeds.

We are gradually undoing natural evolution. Species evolve to fill specific ecological niches, and so most areas were once full of species that evolved to fit those particular areas, and their food and predators evolved right along with them. But some species are "generalists", able to thrive in many varied habitats, and those are the ones that humans have spread all over the world. They outcompete the native species that once had the protection of space and distance--they had their range to themselves. And the result is habitats dominated by a few now extremely common and widespread species, instead of the rich diversity they once had. The whole world is getting more and more all the same, instead of having that diversity. The Asian carp in the Mississippi is a great example...at the rate they have spread and thrived at the expense of native species, it's not inconceivable that the whole river will become full of Asian carp and few other fish.

Sometimes I'm glad I don't have kids, and that I probably have no more than another 30-40 years or so to live, tops. Because I am really pessimistic about what the natural world that I love will be like by then.

Al, we are capable of creating the mess as humans and luckily we are capable of undoing the problems too. In my short lifetime of over 4 decades, I have seen improvements and declines in our natural world. I do have a kid, and a step grandkid now, so it is up to me and you and everyone else to protect it. I hope to see it improve because of us.

[ozark trout fisher]

I'll start of by saying agree that the issue of non-native species taking over native ones is a huge problem.

But I don't think we need to be so gloomy as to say that you're glad you aren't gonna live to see everything in our natural world go to hell in a handbasket. I agree that's the direction things are headed now, but it's never too late to turn things around. I ain't holding my breath, but I still hold out hope that the general public will realize the trouble we're in and try to turn things around. If we don't believe there's a chance for that, what's the point in trying to help our environment and our native species anyway?

Personally I hope I can stick around here long enough to do some good.