Missouri officials are removing as much as 40,000 pounds of invasive fish from the Platte River, helping protect the local ecosystems and communities.
According to KSHB 41 Kansas City, authorities are making big strides to manage invasive silver carp, along with bighead, grass, and black carp species. These fish are all invasive to the region, hurting native wildlife.
Silver carp eat organisms like phytoplankton and zooplankton, thus depleting food sources for other fish. Species like paddlefish, gizzard shad, and bigmouth buffalo are being pushed out due to limited resources.
Officials also explain that the carp pose a threat to humans on the river. The fish, which can weigh anywhere between five and 30 pounds, can leap out of the water when they feel threatened.
"Ultimately, there's a possibility you can get hit in the head or something like that, which is not fun," said Missouri Department of Conservation's Missouri River and Biometrics Unit supervisor, Kasey Whiteman, to KSHB. The heavy fish could cause concussions and other injuries.
Invasive species like this weaken biodiversity and disrupt food chains. The balance of ecosystems helps keep the planet healthy, so these unwelcome species can worsen the effects of the changing climate, such as pollution and extreme weather.
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Removing the carp will help restore balance and protect the native species. But the efforts will also help local communities. The plan is to use every part of the fish for food or other products.
Greg Trial and his team at Missouri Coast Fisheries explained, "Each one of these will go into a product, so it'll either be fertilizer, or bait product, dog treats. So we're using something that we wouldn't want and making it something that we need," per KSHB.
They're hoping to help local farmers cut down on operating costs by using this fertilizer. Additionally, 10% of the product proceeds will be used to support other conservation efforts. The project is set to help people and the planet.
Whiteman noted the widespread impact, saying the carp removal will be "Benefitting the community, benefit businesses, as well as benefitting the environment, is a win, win, win."
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