The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is in the process of doing research to evaluate the biology of the tiger shrimp to determine the effects that the tiger shrimp has on the marine ecosystems. The concern is that non-native species have the possibility of spreading parasites and new diseases. Native shrimp population could be completely wiped out by viruses. Naturally, the native shrimp and the Asian tiger shrimp will compete for survival. The tiger shrimp has the upper hand under these circumstances because of its spawning rate and its ferocious appetite. Particularly, since the tiger shrimp also eats the native shrimp.
“Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are working with state agencies from North Carolina to Texas to look into how this transplanted species from Indo-Pacific, Asian and Australian waters reached U.S. waters, and what the increase in sightings means for native species” (Werner 1).
The Asian tiger shrimp has not been deemed in U.S. waters as an established species by scientists. An established species is regarded as a natvie species. The USGS and NOAA are collecting and examining these shrimp and are looking at the DNA of the various tiger shrimps that have been caught to determine their origins.
“The USGS serves the nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth: minimize loss of life and properly from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life“ (Werner 2). The mission of the NOAA is to understand, examine, and predict changes in the Earth’s environment. The NOAA is important in protecting, managing, preserving, and restoring, if at all possible, marine and coastal resources.
The Asian tiger shrimp is edible which gives hope to some fisherman that they can become a lucrative market because of their enormous size as compared to native shrimp. But other fisherman are concerned about the unknown consequences that the tiger shrimp could have on the ecosystem in ways such as the transmission of disease and the crowding out of the native shrimp. Though the tiger shrimp has yet to get a foothold in the Gulf, the time is now to do research on this species and its behaviors to be proactive rather than waiting until it is too late.
Work Cited
Jun. 2012. Web. 5 September 2012.
Werner, Ryan. Rise in Asian Tiger Shrimp sightings prompts scientific look at invasion
concerns. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 26 Apr. 2012. Web.
September 2012.
This is good science writing! I wonder if you are interested in a career in marine ecology? It sure sounds like it.
ReplyDeleteWhen writing for a general audience, think about terms that you have to define for that audience. What is an "established species"? Wasn't there an issue with frankenfish or some other invasive species recently in the Chesapeake that had the fish living on dry land for periods of time? Connect to your readers by showing them what in our own neck of the woods is happening. That way, you can make this about a global issue happening in multiple places concurrently.
Nice source work!
No, I'm not interested in a career in marine biology. I just found the subject of invasive species interesting.
DeleteI added a sentence in the blog stating that an established species is known as a native species. In 2002, there were news articles about frankenfish being found in a pond in Crofton, MD that could travel on dry land. The fish were placed in the pond by a man who stated that he had acquired them at a fish market. Frankenfish were subsequently foun in the Potomac River, Charles County Maryland, and St. Mary's County Maryland. Thanks for your advice.