Sunday, May 13, 2012

Outrage over Evasive Asian Tiger shrimp lack creative solutions… I say make more cocktail sauce…


USA Today 05/08/12 Rick Jervis

“Asian Tiger shrimp spread in US: Ecosystems at risk as population of invaders grow”

http://www.usatoday.com/NEWS/usaedition/2012-05-08-asian-shrimp_ST_U.htm

Though tasty with lemon and garlic butter, Asian tiger shrimp are spreading through the Gulf of Mexico and Eastern Seaboard and menacing those areas' ecosystems.

The crustaceans can measure up to 13 inches long and weigh nearly a pound, with dark and white stripes circling their bodies. They can be very disruptive to the Gulf's ecosystem, says James Morris, a marine ecologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research in Beaufort, N.C.

Scientists are trying to figure out where the invasive shrimp came from. Theories include that they spawned from a batch that escaped a lab two decades ago or that they immigrated here in the ballast water of ocean-crossing ships.

Like most other shrimp, the jumbo prawns are cannibalistic, Morris says, and because of their size, they can gobble up many of their smaller Gulf cousins and their larvae.

Commons Sense Review

I get such a chuckle out of those who freak when a species of not a regular to the area and how that species are going to kill the ecosystem.  What most people forget is that is the evolution of the earth.  Migration of creature is in constant movement.  So when a new species enters an area instead of mass panic how about thinking out side of the box to solve the problem.

This article talks about the Asian tiger shrimp invading the ecosystem and what I think.  Please pass the cocktail sauce!

The DNR and DEQ could make it special licensing or open season on Asian Tiger shrimp.  Another creative way to address the evasive creature is putting out notices to seafood restaurants to create meal specials that focus on the creature being hunted. 

I good example of this is the Asian Carp dilemma.  There is several ways to address to the reduction of the species.  Finding out what restaurants would like the fish for delicacy specials.  If it is not a delectable fish, ultimately fish can be used for fertilizer for crops. 

In our world of sudden outrage for a situation, it would be a great change to see creative solutions. 

No comments:

Post a Comment