Chapter 6, Problem 2CS

CASE STUDY |Fish tales

Aquatic vegetation overgrowth, usually controlled by dredging or herbicides, represents a significant issue in maintaining private and public waterways. In 1963, diploid grass carp were introduced in Arkansas to consume vegetation, but they reproduced prodigiously and spread to eventually become a hazard to aquatic ecosystems in 35 states. In the 1980s, many states adopted triploid grass carp as an alternative because of their high, but not absolute, sterility and their longevity of seven to ten years. Today, most states require permits for vegetation control by triploid carp, requiring their containment in the body of water to which they are introduced. Genetic modifications of organisms to achieve specific outcomes willcertainly become more common in the future and raise several interesting questions.

If you were a state employee in charge of a specific waterway, what questions would you ask before you approved the introduction of a laboratory-produced, polyploid species into your waterway?