We destroy everything...

[Azhael]

There is this beautiful place that has become my favourite spot to visit, with at the very least 9 species of amphibians, including T.marmoratus, L.helveticus, I.alpestris and S.salamandra.
Well, on our way to a short vacation in the north, while my parents had a coffee i took the opportunity to visit the spot and see how the local populations were doing.
Instead of adults or their offspring, what i found was a HUGE carp that someone had put in the trough. No kidding...at least 2kg of gigantic, predatory carp.
No newts, no larvae, no tadpoles, no algae....just a single T.marmoratus young adult with a terrible infection in its lower jaw, which may or may not be related to an attack by the fish.
Since i was on my way to somewhere else and i wasn´t at all prepared i couldn´t take the carp out myself, so i tried to persuade two young girls that were trying (unsuccessfully of course) to catch some tadpoles to let their parents know that something needed to be done about the huge fish. They seemed concerned and hopefully they will say something to someone. I also talked to a local woman and explained the situation. She said she would talk to the president of the community and that she wasn´t happy about the fish either.
If i have the chance, i´ll try to go back one of these days and see if something has been done, and if not, take the fish out myself.

The beast has obviously munched all the adults and all the larvae that it´s been able to, plus its constant movement in the relatively shallow trough means that water is always stirred and full of sediment which prevents algal growth on which directly or indirectly, all the amphibian species depend.
All this because some $%&"!)*^Ç%& thought it´d be great to put a carp in the village trough...
I hope something is done about it and that the local populations will recover, but i´m pretty sure the damage has been very significant since i was told the carp has been in there for at least 3 months. No breeding season for the local amphibians this year....
Argh...i really hate people....

 

[stanleyc]

Although this is terrible. It's important to remember this is most likely not a malicious act, just one of ignorance. Hope it turns out ok. Please update us when you go back there.

 

[CJ1981]

That's really sad. People can be such morons

 

[Niels D]

It's sad that every single piece of nature should be guarded with a metal fence. We've had a similar case with Aspius aspius.

 

[Azhael]

I do assume that this was done without malice and purely out of ignorance of any potential damage, but still, one would hope that in this day and age the news that introducing species into any habitat is a terrible idea, would have reached a bigger audience...
Then again i´ve spent the afternoon strolling on a park which was originally conceived as a natural refuge for amphibians and migratory birds, but which is primarily populated by ducks, crabs, turtles and yes, loads and loads of carps/kois. All of them released by fools whose ignorance or apathy spoil everything for the rest of us.
I won´t even get into all of the highly invasive plant species that i have counted during the day...
Ah, despair, you familiar little feeling....

 

[supergrappler]

Good luck getting that carp out of there. I've always been able to fish carp out with nightcrawlers or pieces of chicken or beef liver. I'd just use a small fishing pole with adaquately strong fishing line.