Nuwer, Rachel. "Hoping to Lead Great Lakes Lampreys to Demise by the Nose." The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 Feb. 2016. Web. 12 Feb. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/09/science/hoping-to-lead-great-lakes-lampreys-to-demise-by-the-nose.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront>.
The Sea Lamprey is an eel-like, aquatic, parasitic vertebrate that is an invasive species in the North American region. These organisms have a long snakelike body with sharp teeth, used to suck into the victim’s flesh. Recently these organisms have moved into the Great Lakes and caused great destruction in terms of ecological damage, as well as economic devastation in the fishing industry. As the author of the article states, “Harvests of lake trout fell from around 18 million pounds a year to less than 300,000 pounds… Unchecked, lampreys killed an estimated 110 million pounds of fish each year.” (Nuwer) Until recently lampricide, chemical control of lampreys, has been administered to the Great Lakes in attempt to control the population. This lamprey pesticide has been known as TFM, a metabolism-targeting poison applied to larvae-infested streams. However, this method has proved inefficient seeing as in addition to the lampreys, it kills off native fish species. Because of these problems scientists have been working towards a new control mechanism that will target specifically the targeted organism. The sea lamprey, like many other fish, return to a specific place to lay their larvae. These organisms use their nose to determine where the majority of larvae are currently laying, and return there to lay them. The scent they follow is usually specific pheromones released by others. Scientists are planning to use this to their advantage and create pheromones they will respond to and others they will swim away from. If successful they will place the pheromones in places that contain lampricide as well as nets to catch mass quantities and remove them. As Dr. Miller, a researcher in the field says, “Animals are always more sophisticated than we think… Effectively managing them takes a full hand of cards played in a smart way — not just one ace and you’ve got them.” (Nuwer)
For a large mass of people, and fishing as an industry, these invasive pests have been destroying an important food supply. This possible new technology will become increasingly significant if it is proven successful. Not only will it cause a needed boost in the fishing supply we are harvesting, but will lead to other breakthroughs in the scientific field of invasive species. Invasive species are most harmful because of the fact that they are not native and therefore have no known predators. They overrun the native species, but if scientists can figure out how to understand these species better, for example, the sea lampreys pheromones, they can create more beneficial controls for all these harmful species.
This article was incredibly interesting and well written. It was easy to comprehend, but the material was still challenging enough. There were a lot of included statistics, as well as examples of things scientists are doing in the research fields. One thing I wish the article had included more of were examples are possible ways to administer this same technology for some other invasive species. Overall a good and educational article!
I think you did a very good job of giving background on the sea lamprey, explaining the traits this parasite has that make it effective in doing its job. I also think you summarized the article very well. Your summary was thorough but also very easy to read. Lastly, I think your quote integration and quote choices were also good and they supported your summary very well.
ReplyDeleteI think that you could have included more statistics, because you said there were a lot in the article and this could be helpful to grasp the complete severity of the problem, not just the effects it has on the fishing industry. Other than that, this was an amazing review!
Invasive species like these never really cross my mind. However, they are threatening the food supply of the Great Lakes for both humans and other animals, so clearly they need to be controlled. I think that using the pheromones to control the lampreys is very inventive and could be very successful, and this is something I would like to continue researching.
I thought Estelle did a great job reviewing this article. First, I liked how she went into depth describing how the Sea Lamprey attacks its prey, stating “These organisms have a long snakelike body with sharp teeth, used to suck into the victim’s flesh”. This really gave me and in depth understanding of how the organism works. I also enjoyed her use of statistics. Knowing that the Sea Lamprey was able to kill 110 million pounds of fish per year really put it into perspective, and the drop of fish caught from 18 million to 300,000 pounds showed that the issue had real world effects. Lastly, I enjoyed how she showed that scientists were working on a viable solution. This made me feel much less helpless and inspired me to believe in the American dream, because there is nothing that we cannot overcome.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I would have liked to see was where these species were invading from. She mentions that they are invasive, but never mentions where they are from. I would also like to know if these organisms are harmful to humans. They seemed pretty scary from their description, but it is hard to tell from it whether they are only dangerous to fish or not.
This article really made me afraid of open water. The fact that what are essentially sea monsters are lurking in our waters is truly terrifying. From now on, I will be weary of the water and push towards finding a way to exterminate Sea Lamprey.
Such a great review! I really enjoyed how you incorporated a photo into your review. I wouldn’t have been able to grasp how scary that animal was. I also thought you did a great job with your writing style. Your writing made it interesting and easy to read. I also appreciated your use of quotes. I think that quotes enhanced your writing and gave your voice more credibility.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I would add to your article would be some data or facts. It helps the reader have a better understanding of this situation. I also think it would have been interesting to share how this is affecting humans. Can they do this to us??
I was very shocked to learn about this serpent. I think this is a terrible situation. More attention needs to be given to this! I am very glad I was able to learn about this.
Estelle’s review on the article, “Hoping to Lead Great Lakes Lampreys to Demise by the Nose” was very clearly and concisely written. Her summary of the article gave detailed background on the sea lamprey and the lamprey pesticide that was easy to comprehend. Additionally, I really appreciated her attachment of a picture of this creature because it gave me a better idea of what this peculiar species looks like. Lastly, her incorporation of direct quotations from the author and an entomologist at Michigan State supported her summary of the article and added validity to her main points.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this review was very well written, there are a couple improvements that can be made. I would have liked to know what other species this sea lamprey preys on, and whether they are a threat to humans. Also, the Great Lakes are the only area in the North American region specifically mentioned in the review, so I think including another well-known area that is exposed to these sea lampreys would strengthen the explanation of the severity of these creatures’ existence.
Both this article and review opened my eyes to a very dangerous species that I had never previously heard of. These sea lampreys are essentially destroying our fishing industries, and it is worrisome to imagine their effect on other species. I will be sure to look out for more articles on the progression of the success of the pheromones and lampricide in removing the sea lampreys from the Great Lakes and other regions.
Estelle I really enjoyed your review of the article “Hoping to Lead Great Lakes Lampreys to Demise by the Nose.” There were a few things that stood out. One, you did a great job summarizing the article. I liked the background information on the lamprey because I didn’t know much about it before. Two, I liked how you included a picture of the sea lamprey. This helped me visualize what it looked like. Three, I liked your quote integration because it helped to strengthen your review.
ReplyDeleteAlthough your review was great, there are a few things you could do to make it even better. One, I wish you included a few more statistics about the sea lamprey. You mentioned there were other stats, and it would’ve been nice to see them. Two, I would like to know whether these animals are harmful to humans and what other animals they prey on.
Your review and this article really surprised me about this dangerous animal. I had never heard of this animal before reading your review. The sea lamprey is destroying our fishing industry and who knows what other harm they could do. Again, I really enjoyed your review.
Hi Estelle! One thing I loved about your review was the topic that you chose. I’ve never heard of Sea Lampreys before but it seems to be causing a big stir in the fishing community.You also did a great job of explaining what scientists are doing to create a control mechanism. They attempted to create a pesticide which didn’t work because it killed the native fish as well and are now trying to create a pesticide that will target their larva. I also enjoyed how clear your sentences were and the advice you gave to the author to add more advice on how this new technology could affect other species.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I thought you could have improved is to explain what pheromones are. Also you could have added where the Sea lamprey originated and in what year it became a problem in the United States.
Something I learned from your review was that the main concern with the sea lampreys is that they are eating all the fish and it is devastating to fishermen and our economy.
Nuwer, Rachel. "Hoping to Lead Great Lakes Lampreys to Demise by the Nose." The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 Feb. 2016. Web. 12 Feb. 2016. .
Personally, I think that lampreys should be kept out of any water that people are swimming in. Just look at those things. While these organisms are scary they are also very destructive; you did a great job of going through the progression of events and told the entire story rather than just saying that people were using hormones to catch them. This made it more evident that the issue was not one that would be easy to solve but rather took a good amount of creativity. You also did a good job of implementing information from the article which made you sound very astute and learned on the topic. Lastly, I appreciated the lack of statistics. While stats can be helpful in an issue, I feel that they would have taken away from the summary and made it more boring. It would have been nice to have seen more personal opinion in the article. You did a very good job of presenting the information but the only aspect that contained any personal touch was the final paragraph which was well stated but brief. Also, I would have liked to know where lampreys actually belong and how they managed to get into the Great Lakes.
ReplyDeleteComing from Chicago, I can remember a time when there was a big scare in Lake Michigan because carp farms were out of control and let loose a good amount of fish into the lake. These foreign predators quickly threw off the ecosystem and bounties were put on their heads to attract fishermen. It is always interesting to see how well other species can survive and even thrive in new environments. It is also refreshing to see how people are trying to fix some of the problems that they caused in order to keep nature in balance.
Nuwer, Rachel. "Hoping to Lead Great Lakes Lampreys to Demise by the Nose." The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 Feb. 2016. Web. 12 Feb. 2016. .
I think Estelle did an excellent job reviewing this article, and I enjoyed many aspects of it. Specifically, I think she did very well in keeping the review concise and getting right to the point. This made the review so much better because it did not include much useless information that could potentially bore the reader. Another thing I enjoyed about this review was how well Estelle gave background information about the sea lamprey and the lamprey pesticide. One final thing I enjoyed about this review was the fact that a picture of the sea lamprey was included, giving me a much better visualization of the topic of the review.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this was a great review, I feel that there are a couple of things that could be improved upon. One thing that I think would make this review even better would be if maybe Estelle explained what exactly pheromones are, for it would give the reader more insight regarding this topic. Another thing that would’ve been nice is if maybe Estelle included from where the sea lamprey invaded from, for she included that they were an invasive species, and this piece of information would help the review.
Finally, I found it very intriguing yet quite concerning that this dangerous species is lurking in our water, and I was quite worried about this. Ultimately, this review enlightened me on the topic of this dangerous species of lamprey which I had never heard of before.
Estelle,
ReplyDeleteThe article you picked, “Hoping to Lead Great Lakes Lampreys to Demise by the Nose” was intriguing. Also I thought it was a nice addition to add the picture as it makes your review more of an engaging piece to read. Good use of quote integration as well, because you nicely tied in an expert opinion to your summary. It was a good idea to incorporate data such as how much the number of fish declined due to the presence of the lake lampreys. The best component of your piece was how well you summarized your piece, because not only did I feel I absorbed a great deal of information from your review but that it was well written and concise.
Although you wrote up the review so well, two sources of improvements may be expanding more on the significance of this discovery as well as ending off with your own comment rather than a quote. I emphasize on the latter suggestion because it’ll just make your piece stronger. Quotes become more powerful to your piece if you add your own insight to them.
I chose this article simply because the title interested me. This article was a thought provoking read. We tend to ignore aspects such as invasive species like the lake lampreys. We don’t stop to think the disastrous effects and invasive species can have on the existing wildlife. Your review on the this article draws attention to this problem and makes us ponder the way to attack it. The tactics that the scientists propose to use this species nose and their pheromones to their disadvantage certainly is innovative and just may simply work, but like the article said, we shouldn’t underestimate the intelligence of animals.