Boy's Jaw Broken by Jumping Silver Asian Carp
According to the Associated Press, the impact was so great that it killed the Silver Asian Carp and sent Seth Russell to the hospital with a broken jaw, loose teeth, and whiplash. According to Seth's mother, he doesn't remember a thing; he was knocked unconscious in the mishap. Carole Engle, the director of aquaculture at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff states that, in the past year, she has received multiple calls of jumping Silver Asian Carp causing injuries on Lake Chicot.
Here in coastal Georgia, I have seen rays jump in fishing boats and bottle-nose dolphins upsetting surf boards. Whenever man connects with nature, incidents like this are bound to happen. But Silver Asian Carp are an especially thorny problem.
Silver Asian Carp are not native to the United States. Silver Asian Carp were imported from China starting in the 1970's to control algae in farm ponds and water treatment facilities. As happens with most introduced species, the Silver Asian Carp escaped confinement and has become a seriously invasive species in the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Silver Asian Carp are a challenging target for sport fishermen, as they do not take to standard hooks and bait. They can be dangerous as an eating fish as the bluegreen algae they like to eat can produce toxins in the carp.
The lessons of the Silver Asian Carp can be applied to every situation where human beings decide to "control" nature and bring in so-called safe biological controls. We need only to look to the devastation purple loosestrife is doing to America's rivers and streams to see the effect of losing that control. Here in the South, an insidious creeping vine called kudzu, originally imported from Japan in 1876 as feed for animals and as a decorative plant, has completely taken over fields, forests, and even my backyard. It may be too late to stop the Silver Asian Carp from taking over major rivers, but hopefully, biologists will think twice before solving a problem with a bigger one.
Sources:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g34TaU1nUn_J7MCfoGu1qScC0UpAD93274080
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_carp
Published by Angie Mohr CA CMA - Featured Contributor in Finance and Lifestyle
Angie Mohr is a Chartered Accountant and Certified Management Accountant who has worked with thousands of business clients from home-based entrepreneurs to rock bands to celebrity chefs. She is also the auth... View profile
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15 Comments
Post a CommentWow, let's hope they don't bring in something bigger to deal with the Silver Asian Carp! Great read
Interesting :) Sheri
Poor Kid, sounds like it really hurt, Great article, Good reporting!!
incredible story, great read, and poor kid...
Poor kid.
Those fish must sure pack a mean punch!! Great reporting...
Yikes! One more good reason not to like fishing.
What a weird accident! Interesting story.
Wow, I hope the boy will recovers well.
Wow, this is a scary story. Good thing the boy was not much younger or he could have been killed! I like your conclusion: it really DOES make sense that trying to fight fire with fire -- an eco system problem by introducing a new species to take out the eco pest you're battling -- is a double edged sword that can quite easily turn against you. Again, excellent write up!