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Australia To Use GM To Control Carp
mskfisher writes "Yahoo! News is running an AFP story on Australia's efforts to control the carp population using a 'male-only' gene. The gene will prevent the carp, considered a pest in Australia, from producing female offspring. The carp has wiped out some 90% of the native south Australian fish population, namely perch and bass. They do not, however, mention any ways of controlling the spread of this gene in the wild, besides the obvious death of any affected population."
Isn't that a new SUV?
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
How about a "female-only" approach? I suggest that we try both approaches at the same time to see which one works best.
Suppose this gene multiplies further out past Australia, we could very well see the extinction of all Carp once they all become male.
Genetic work can be beneficial, but the long term considerations must be considered, how about mass breeding/releasing of sharks in the water to eat all these carp (I know the human implications of all those sharks terrorizing humans)? Or just increased fishing programs? There's got to be another way....
...in bed
"Australians report rise of homosexual fish"
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Never criticize religion on Slashdot. You will be modded down for "Troll" no matter how factual it is.
This just doesn't look good.
is another man's delicacy
.sigs are for post^Hers.
Since all carp that I know of are freshwater fish, it stands to reason by that assumption that the species was introduced by man. In fact the article mentions the word "introduced" but neglects to mention by what means. Had it been by natural cause, the choice of word would commonly be "migration".
As such it would be next to impossible to spread this gene outside of Australia, where the species isn't wanted anyway. So unless I am wrong in my basic assumption that man caused this in the first place, the problem is contained.
Wealth is the product of man's capacity to think. -Ayn Rand
---- It puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again. It does this whenever it's told.
Anything which reduces or limits the breeding ability of a species will naturally reduce within the population. It's called evolution. It'll just take a few generations. After all, we can't even kill bloody bacteria now.
How about we just catch and eat the carp?
Government of the people, by corporate executives, for corporate profits.
Once we are done with carp, I'd vote for mosquitoes, roaches, rats and lawyers next.
Do not look into the laser with remaining eye.
"perch and bass" are not native in Australia. Perches are found in Europe, North America, and northern Asia. Bass are found in North America only.
For a better fish context - see Fishbase.
So, what do I care if one introduced fish species eradicates other introduced.
Didn't they try this in Jurrasic Park?
I grew up next to a small river. As a child, my friends and I spent many afternoons fishing in the river for bass, sunfish, and catfish. In the late 1980s a trend began among irresponsible fishermen of using "feeder" goldfish, most of which were tiny orange carp, as bait because they were cheaper than minnows. At the end of the day, those guys would toss any extra bait into the river, where they thrived and grew to huge sizes. Native fish were wiped out, followed by the huge snapping turtles that could no longer survive in the screwed-up ecosystem. Those damned goldfish became the kudzu of our water, weren't any fun to fish for, and now the only people who fish in those waters are illegal immigrants desperate for food.
If something like this were done with those stupid pet goldfish, it would be a great boon for a lot of fishing spots that might eventually be destroyed by idiots using non-native bait.
We are cruising up one of the side canyons and the only place to exit is surrounded by boats and has no trees. My friend has to take a dump. So he jumps into the lake and drops his bathing suit. As soon as it hits the water, he is immediately attacked by 20-30 Huge carp in a big feeding frenzy. The water was boiling, my friend was screaming and we were crying from laughter.
Won't this just mean that a million sexually frustrated male carp will beat the fish-crap out of all the perch and bass instead?
In general, one would think that introducing a GM freshwater fish in Australia would be a safe bet for containment. However...
There is NO WAY that this gene could be contained in the small "backwater basin" in Australia. There are enough other locales in the world (the majority of the US, and its Great Lakes for one) in which carp are despised, and enough motivated people with mobility, that there would quickly spring up a "black market" in these GM carp for export to ponds, lakes, and rivers abroad.
The cure for cancer is coming: Reovirus
...would be to import Gorillas to eat the carp. In the winter, the Gorillas will die off naturally.
Unlike certain other organisms, interspecies gene transfer in fish is not something that happens every day. In weeds, it happens due to bacteria living in the root nodules of the weed and visiting neighboring plants.
I do not know if gene transfer is documented in other organisms like fish but would consider it to have a very low success rate.
- Zav - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of insensitive clods...
Gene1 (Merv): Hey bob..
Gene2 (Bob) : Hey Merv..
Merv: man, I was thinking.. this here carp we're in just sucks. Just swimming around, doing nothing all day long, man.. we gotta get outta here..
Bob: Man, I feel ya, but how?
Merv: See, I figure, if we jump just right, we can actually jump out of this here carp and, I dunno, inject ourselves into those plants on the shoreline..
If you were me, you'd be good lookin'. - six string samurai
Hey, why use complex genetic engineering to control your carp population when you can have a hell of a lot more fun using medieval technology like the NZers do?
It is curious how external species are able to out-compete local species fine-tuned to the local environment time and time again.
One theory is that local preditors have yet to adjust to the new species, giving it freer range. Another is that isolation has kept local species from some of the evolutionary advances going on elsewhere in the world.
Table-ized A.I.
So, when you actually *need* to overfish a certain area and reduce a species population.... we turn to genetic manipulation. Smart. Smart.
Dump the IRS - http://www.fairtax.org
They should GM the carp so they look different to humans. Maybe put the Glow gene in them. The only problem would be if the change made them less attractive to the opposite sex. Eventually it would, because selection would favor females who can pick males without the gene. It would take a while though.
The trick is not to create something that is "collectable." It'll have to be ugly and taste bad, but still sexy to other fish.
This is not a political statement. This is not legal advice. It's a frick'n Slasdot post. However: I'm Running For
First we genetically restrict one of the sexes, then the next thing you know they're humping anyway and they've broken out of their cages and are rampaging around the island trying to eat Dr. Grant and the kids.
A new feature is just a bug waiting to happen. And vice versa.
Think about it - if a gene causes the birth of only males, then it is not beneficial to the carp population.
What has Darwin taught us about non-beneficial genes again?
That's right. They eventually drop out of the gene pool.
Basic evolution, everybody.
I wouldn't count on that. A big issue in the San Francisco Bay area has been the phenomenon of foreign tankers emptying their balast chambers (or some kind of huge water-containing chamber) in the SFBay, thereby introducing tons of non-native species to the area.
- First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then ???, then profit.
This thousand-carp batch's children will all be male.
That 10,000-carp batch's children will also all be male.
That 100,000-carp batch's children will also be male.
And so on. The existing males will have to work extra hard to find females, and eventually, one species (ether the GM ones or the non-GM ones, quickly followed by the GM ones) will die out, with considerably less fish left afterwards.
My father taught me this when I was little:
1)Clean and wash carp.
2)Tie carp to good quality oak or maple board using fine Stainless leader wire.
(2 carp can be prepared at a time, either side of board)
3)Baste carp constantly, slowly rotating over an open fire (mesquite is good)using a mixture of lemon juice, butter, honey, and a bit of cayenne pepper.
Takes approximatly 4 hours, perhaps longer.
When boards become tender, dicard carp, and eat the board.
If the Australians really want to get rid of the ability of the male fish to reproduce, simply give them all computers and /. subscriptions. They'll never mate again...
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