Slashdot Mirror
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."
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"
---
Never criticize religion on Slashdot. You will be modded down for "Troll" no matter how factual it is.
This just doesn't look good.
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.
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
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.
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.