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What Is The Murray Darling Basin's Pest?

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Introduction Throughout the years, the Murray Darling Basin has become home to a large number of different animals, developing towns bring in pets and attracting new birds, while agriculture brings in cattle and sheep; animals that have never touched hoof of Australian soil without it being brought in by man. However, some animals brought in for one reason, could end up doing another job that can destroy entire ecosystems, bring in disease that can kill several thousand animals, or hunt another animal to extinction. “Pest (Noun) 1. A destructive insect or other animal that attacks crops, food, livestock etc.’ (Dictionary.com). Pests such as the European Carp are common throughout the Murray Darling Basin, and are one of the most devastating of the pest in the local area. European Carp …show more content…

In most of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, the common carp are farmed as a delicacy, but in other parts of the world such as Australia and Canada, they are considered a pest. These pests, when small, could be confused as goldfish, but when older, they can be distinguished by a pair of whiskers at each side of their mouth. They have thick lips, a single dorsal fin and small eyes. They are also commonly a yellow-brown colour, varying in darker and lighter scales, depending on their location. They were introduced to Australia somewhere between the 1850’s, to the 1870’s, and since then millions, if not billions have been bred and are now infestation the rivers of

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