Re: NANFA-L-- Re: Chinese Sturgeon on AquaBid

dlmcneely-in-lunet.edu
Thu, 11 May 2006 22:56:33 -0500

This release of sterile individuals of a pest species has been touted
for such insects as screw worms. The claims have been that the
numbers of sterile males released were many thousands of times larger
than the wild, fertile males. Since females only mate one time, the
chance of a female mating with a fertile male was thought to be
vanishingly small. Screw worm populations declined precipitously
concurrently with this massive release program. However, they have
now (after the program has existed for nearly fifty years) rebounded,
and are nearly as much a pest as they were in the nineteen forties.
Some data suggest now that the population decline they experienced was
related to stochastic environmental variables, and not to the release
program.

At any rate, an important piece of the presumed mechanism is missing
with mosquitofish. Mosquitofish females mate multiple times.
Further, any program to sterilize and release tremendous numbers of
males would be quite expensive. USDA undertook the sterile screw worm
release program to protect the beef industry in the SW U.S. Economic
interest trumps conservation every time.

Dave

David L. McNeely, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Langston University; P.O. Box 1500
Langston, OK 73050; email: dlmcneely-in-lunet.edu
telephone: (405) 466-6025; fax: 405) 466-3307
home page http://www.lunet.edu/mcneely/index.htm

"Where are we going?" "I don't know, are we there yet?"

----- Original Message -----
From: EELReprah-in-aol.com
Date: Thursday, May 11, 2006 5:05 pm
Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- Re: Chinese Sturgeon on AquaBid
> In a message dated 5/11/06 5:58:33 PM, nanfa-in-bakerweb.biz writes:
>
> << Would it work to release thousands of sterile gambusia into a
> system on
>
> order to halt the reproduction? >>
>
> How would that reduce the fertility of those already there?
>
> Lee Harper
> Media, PA
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