Can a Fish ruin the Economy?

Can a Fish Ruin The Economy?

What may be a silent killer in the world of economics, a growing concern and a up and coming crisis that cost americans billions of dollars each year. They were brought into the land of the free, and thrived and expanded across the country just like the “white man” did so many years ago. You can’t control them, they destroy their habitat and are a threat to every living thing that shares a home with them.

Invasive species haven’t been knocking at America's door, but they have been knocking it down and swarming out woods and waterways. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, “invasive species just last year caused over 120 Billion dollars in damage”.  For example feral hogs in which were brought to America by early settlers have been know to tear up a 20 acer field in one night, in which is hurting farmers. People are trying to control the population by hunting and trapping freely(hunting season is open all year and there is no daily bag limit), however they are reproducing at a faster rate. A female hog can have up to twenty piglets, and she can reproduce almost 4 times a year, in which makes it almost impossible to control the population.

Another invasive species is the asian carp, in which was released to America's waterways when a fish farm flooded off of the mississippi. Not even ten years later these fish have invaded almost every single body of water, including Pewaukee Lake. What makes the situation worse is that no one likes to eat the fish, in which discourages people from removing them from the water, also they have little predators considering that they grow to extreme sizes. Recently a concern has arisen due to the carp knocking at lake michigans door, in which if these species invade the great lakes will be a disaster to many people who make their living from these waters. The great lakes “lure” in a lot of money from charters, guides, and commercial fishermen who capitalize on the great numbers of walleye, trout and salmon that call that lake home. If the carp entered the great lakes they would destroy not only fish habitat, but also they kill off a lot of the spawn from other fish because they are bottom feeders, in which will reduce the numbers of game fish(walleye, trout, salmon, ect.) in which will cause a lot of jobs to be lost.

Invasive species have been impacting us in a negative way, they have taken away our jobs and even our home (even though we did the same thing when we settled in America). Once introduced they thrive and aren't afraid to destroy anything in their path. Invasive species even though may be dumber than a rock and are a lot smaller than us, have potential when in numbers to sculpt America into how they want it, just like we did.