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发帖数: 466 | 1 CHINA - In early September, US scientists came to China to explore ways to
prevent the spread of Asian carp in their country and to explore the
possibility of exporting the invaders back to China.
"Chinese love eating the fish, and the US has too many of them, which makes
exploring a business plan a win-win solution," said Yang Bo, a freshwater
expert from The Nature Conservancy who accompanied the US scientists during
their visit. Yang made her remarks in an interview with China Daily on
Monday.
But implementing such a plan won't be easy, Yang added.
Barriers to the plan include the high costs of transportation, the tariffs
and the Asian Carp Prevention and Control Act, a US law that makes
transportation of the live fish across US state lines illegal.
"Although difficulties exist, we are looking for high-level discussion
between the two countries," she said.
One of the scientists, Jim Garvey, director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture
Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale said he hopes that
research and collaboration between the US and China will lead to greater
demand for the fish and enhanced economic opportunity.
Mr Yang said that in addition to the fish products trade, China and the US
will strengthen cooperation in Asian carp research, including the water
temperature and flow related to breeding, so that the US can control fish
reproduction and China can boost its own.
China has made various efforts for years to protect the fish.
Asian carp were first introduced into the US from China in the 1970s to help
enhance water quality in ponds. Within the past four decades, the fish
escaped into major waterways, including the Illinois and Mississippi rivers.
Although it lives on plankton and algae, Asian carp are a strong competitor
of native fish species because of the invasive species' large size and rapid
rate of reproduction.
Mr Garvey expressed concern that Asian carp will eat freshwater mussels into
extinction. The US has the greatest diversity of freshwater mussels in the
world.
The US government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to prevent the
spread of Asian carp, including electric barriers, water guns and scent-
based lures to try to catch them.
Mr Garvey said the US government has spent nearly $100 million on research
in the past four years to determine ways to impede movement and reduce carp
density in rivers. |
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