Invasive Species

Group: Fishes

Family: Characidae

Scientific Name:  Piaractus Brachypomus

Common Name: Pirapatinga, Red Bellied Pacu

Native Habbitat: Freshwater

The Piaractus Brachypomus have been reported to be found since 1988 in 41 different states.  Machado-Allison was the scientist who first revised the Pacus and give it its distinguishing characteristics.  Although, any of them found in U.S waters have been misidentified as the red piranha.  The Pacu will accept almost all food, but usually diets on ocean vegetation, therefore they pose no threat to other species, nor prey on them.  The first of this species was found on August 29, 1988 in Elk River, Limestone County, Alabama.  Since, they've been reported each year throughout the U.S.  Their native waters and source of distribution is South America: Amazon and Orinoco River Basins, and Argentina.

This photo shows the distribution of the Pacu throughout U.S waters.

http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/SpeciesList.aspx?Group=&State=ME&Sortby=%5BGroup%5D,Genus,Species,SubSpecies&submit2=Submit

http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?SpeciesID=427

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish/redbellypacu.php

Oil Spills

Oil spills are sometimes accidents, but they are also the result of carelessness, equipment malfunction, terrorist activities, illegal dumpers, and natural disasters.  Oil spills affect almost all forms of sea-life.

Sea birds are one of the most affected animals by oil contamination.  A dime size drop of oil can kill a bird.  They are often poisoned by it through consumption, or unable to peen their feathers leading to hypothermia or hyperthermia.

Otters are covered by the oil, causing a buildup in their air bubbles and dangerously low body temperatures.

Whales die because the oil plugs up their blowhole.

Smaller ocean organisms are affected by oil as well.  Off-shore accidents are usually the cause of death for animals such as plankton, larva fish, and bottom dwelling organisms.  If oil reaches shorelines it affects sediments like sand and gravel causing erosion and contamination.  Contaminated sand and gravel become unable to protect and nurture vegetation and biomass.  Rocks and boulders coated with oil can interfere with recreational uses of shoreline. Commercial fishing can also be permanently effected by an oil spill.

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/oil_spills.htm

http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Oc-Po/Oil-Spills-Impact-on-the-Ocean.html

A Warming Ocean

    We’re not only hurting our ocean directly by dumping garbage into it, or killing animals by boat pollution or overfishing, but also indirectly by our everyday actions; our carbon footprint.  The release of our overused CO2 emissions cause global warming, as we all know, which is causing serious changes to our ocean.  Global warming causes a rise in ocean temperature, a rise in sea level, and a change in currents.  Entire species and ecosystems are at risk due to the increased temperatures and acidic buildup, as they are unable to adapt. For example in many parts of the ocean, coral is turning white and dying, and it’s blamed on the rise in temperature. 10% of the worlds coral has already been destroyed.

How do Carbon Emmisions Effect Our Ocean

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/

Overfishing

The UN Food and Agricultural Organization stated in its latest report that:
      52% of fish stocks are fully exploited
      20% are moderately exploited
      17% are overexploited
      7% are depleted
      1% are recovering from depletion
 
What does this data mean?
    This means 25% of the worlds fish are overexploited or depleted, 52% are at their brink (fully exploited) and overall almost 80% of our ocean’s fish stocks are fully or overexploited, depleted, or on the brink of collapse.
    These statistics show us that we’re losing species and entire ecostystems, and all are at risk of collapse.  It also means we’re at danger of losing one of our largest food sources that many humans depend upon for dietary and economical reasons.  In 1922 in Newfoundland, Canada, the cod fish industry suddenly came to a hault when no cod arrived, due to overfishing in previous years, leaving 40,000 people jobless.  So the depleting ocean means not only less fish living, less fish to eat, but also less coastal jobs.


Overfishing from greenforum on Vimeo.

So what needs to be done?
We can start to reduce overfishing by having fisheries follow these rules and regulations:
    1. Set Safe Catch Limitis; this is the number of fish that fisheries are allowed to catch.  This number should be reassed often as the ecosystems change, scientifically determined, and followed by all fisheries.
    2. Controls on Bycatch; management rules determined to prevent the unintentional killing of bycatch.
    3. Protection of Pristine and Important Habbitats; Pristine ecosystems (such as the ocean floor) need full protection from the destruction of fisheries.
    4. Monitoring and Enforcement; A system set up to ensure fishermen are not exceeding the safe catch limit, with penalties and fines to further enforce .


http://overfishing.org/

Boat Pollution

    Every time a boat runs, exhaust in the engine creates pollution harmful to sea life. Exhaust contributes harmful chemicals such as hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.  Underwater exhaust directly emits these harmful chemicals and gasses into the ocean. Excess gasoline runoff from engines also creates pollution. 
    There are currently no Federal regulations limiting the amount of exhaust boats emit, but here are some ways boaters can help reduce their pollution to the ocean:

              -only turn your engine on all the way when needed

              -store gas in shaded areas, protected from the sun to eliminate air pollution

              -each year buy a new, or cleaner engine for your boat

              -limit operating your engine on full throttle

              -eliminate unnecessary idling

              -avoid spilling gasoline when fueling up

              -properly match engine horse power to vessel size

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/ocean_pollution.htm
http://www.epa.gov/oms/boat-fs.htm
http://www.suite101.com/content/reducing-marine-engine-pollution-a24811

Dumping

    Garbage dumping is the dump of human waste (including plastics) into our ocean. Waste from as far back as the 1990’s  is still in the ocean today.  Garbage dumping is a serious form of pollution that affects not only the ocean, but the rest of the world too, including ocean organisms and human health and resources.  Ocean dumping is harmful to animals because they can easily be tangled in dumped nets, or may mistake human waste for food, and often end up chocking on plastic, or strangled by some form of it.  Dumping is universally used, because its a cheap and  convenient method of garbage disposal, meanwhile its toxic wastes and non biodegradable products are causing a serious threat to our ocean.

The largest dumping site in our ocean is the Eastern Garbage Patch, aka the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located between Hawaii and California.  Garbage here is dumped into the North Pacific Gyre, which is the center of several currents, causing a swirling mass of floating trash, also described as the Pacific Trash Vortex.  Its estimated that 80% of the trash is from a land-based source, and the other 20% from ships.  Its impossible to be completely sure of just how big the patch is, but its estimated size is  up to and more than one and a half times the size of the US, and over 100 feet in depth.

http://www.pollutionissues.com/Na-Ph/Ocean-Dumping.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch

http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jul/10-the-worlds-largest-dump