'Algae-eating fish' used to clean up Chinese lake

February 20, 2009

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Some of approximately 10 million fish, including green carp and silver carp, being released into Taihu Lake in Suzhou, eastern China's Jiangsu province, in a bid to clean up the pollution-linked blue green algae bloom covering the scenic lake, February 18.

Chinese authorities have again turned to algae-eating fish in a bid to clean up a pollution-linked blue green bloom on one of the country's most scenic lakes, state media reported Friday.

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• Corban - Feb 20, 2009
  • Rank: 4 / 5 (1)
  Smart thinking, China - turn waste into fish feed for your industry.
  
  Let's hope they don't get the bright idea to turn algae into oil. Then we're screwed.
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• Star_Gazer - Feb 20, 2009
  • Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
  next problem they are going to have is algae-eating fish over population.. this have to be balanced very carefully, otherwise from one extreme to another...
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• enantiomer2000 - Feb 20, 2009
  • Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
  "next problem they are going to have is algae-eating fish over population"
  
  Then they will just introduce aquatic gorillas to eat the fish. It's called the circle of life.
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• ryuuguu - Feb 20, 2009
  • Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
  @Star_Gazer
  actually the article says they eat the fish, even though becuase of industrial pollution it may not be healthy
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• Velanarris - Feb 21, 2009
  • Rank: 5 / 5 (2)

  next problem they are going to have is algae-eating fish over population.. this have to be balanced very carefully, otherwise from one extreme to another...

  
  Also, these blooms aren't necessarily constant, but sporadic. You'd achieve a sort of equilibrium, as the algae is consumed by the fish the fish multiply, as the algae runs out, the fish taper off.
  
  I think the bigger problem is how fast carp multiply and how well they out compete other species.
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• Cebes - Feb 25, 2009
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  And then there are the algae created by the oil industry's well pressurization with water, CO2, phosphoroic, and hydrochloric acid. The sludge that's created in the bore holes is a great breeding ground for dynoflagelettes. These little critters are responsible for "Red tides". They eat fish and when the fish are gone they're gone. So we have this to look forward to in the very near future, since it has happened in the very recent past. Do a search on dynoflagelettes and red tide.
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