What’s Wrong with This Picture?
A city park in Lake Wales, Florida demonstrates how manipulating nature can produce an unfortunate outcome.
I took the above photograph on a pleasant Sunday afternoon last spring before it got too hot. It’s a picture of the fishing dock at the city park in Lake Wales, Florida. What is wrong with the picture (other than any number of technical issues owned by the photographer) is that there are no fishermen on it. At dusk the lights come on until the park closes at 10 p.m. There won’t be anyone fishing on it then, either, or at any other time. Why? Because there are no fish in the lake.
This all came about several years ago when I was a reporter for The Lake Wales News. The park’s lake was a fun fishing spot with plenty of big bass, speckled perch and bream. There were also patches of cattails, lilypads and other aquatic grasses that tended to impede some boating activity including the popular young people’s pram fleet competitions.
City fathers decided they would do something about the problem and opted for the introduction of Nile carp into the waters. That species eat nothing but weeds and grass. Moreover, it was a hybrid which meant it could not reproduce and it had a life span of only 25 years. It seemed like a good idea at the time and it was less expensive than having the foliage removed temporarily by a hydrilla harvester or by chemical means.
However, the end result was the city unintentionally messed with Mother Nature. The carp quickly ate ALL the weeds and grasses leaving no areas at all for the game fish to spawn. As a result of those species eventually died out and the carp starved to death.
None of this can possibly matter to anyone not living in Lake Wales but it gives credence to the old adage that goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
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75 Responses to “What’s Wrong with This Picture?”
On October 11, 2009 at 6:21 am
So sad.
On October 11, 2009 at 6:40 am
Great article!
On October 11, 2009 at 7:02 am
That is such a shame! Poor fishes…
On October 11, 2009 at 7:05 am
oh poor fishes
On October 11, 2009 at 7:42 am
It matters to me. My husband and I have tried to buy fisheries in the past, so I have done some research on the fishy subject. The last one just a few months ago was a fish breeding and fishing lakes and talking to the owner of this great business I know he would never have let this happen. Some one is to blame for not delving in to the matter correctly, and it should have been spotted as a potential problem before it got to the point where they all died!
On October 11, 2009 at 7:47 am
hmm its a shame something like that has to happen in such a beautiful looking place
Great Article by the way!
On October 11, 2009 at 7:52 am
Great article Ken, we should always leave the food chain to mother nature! The saddest part is the carp starving to death
On October 11, 2009 at 7:57 am
My dear friend, why not say it as it really is. For instance \’this is just one more bureaucratic botch up\’, could be a polite way of putting it. Believe me, we have plenty of those here in England under the durrent regime. Where the hell is Guy Fawkes when you need him!
On October 11, 2009 at 7:58 am
I think it does matter to many of us who do not live there. I live in a spot that is surrounded by water and my feeling is that boaters are not only people who enjoy the lakes and rivers so why make it so they are the only ones who can enjoy it?
On October 11, 2009 at 8:02 am
My God, where did all those funny signs and incorrect spellings come from. Durrent should have read current and \i don’t know where the slashes came from. SORRY!
Nadine
On October 11, 2009 at 8:11 am
Thought provoking!
On October 11, 2009 at 8:25 am
Wonderful title, if I may start with that! It immediately grabbed my attention. I think it is situations like these that make us really ponder about what we do with this Earth that we live in. Incredibly sad that such a beautiful place can be messed about because of civilisation. A strong message behind this example.
On October 11, 2009 at 8:44 am
Shocking.
On October 11, 2009 at 9:19 am
Seems to me another example of the government getting involved to make things better for us all and, well, you told “the rest of the story….”
On October 11, 2009 at 9:52 am
Playing with nature can sometimes boomerang with an unfavorable effect.
On October 11, 2009 at 9:53 am
Excellent article and a very important issue to be brought up. It might have been good intentions that prompted them, but then what stops them from corrective action? Lethargy? Indifference? Or hesitation to own up mistakes? In my country, even citizens are to blame for some of such mishaps. It is customary to make big clay models of Lord Ganesha for community worship during Ganesha festival and later drown it in lake water. The practice is good – it provides livelihood for a lot of artisans. Once upon a time, they did not use color paints over the idols, now they use toxic materials. So you know the results.
On October 11, 2009 at 10:30 am
It matters to the world. My wife and I live near (but not on) a large lake. The lake is also being filled with weeds and algae. The reason for all this plant growth in the lake is people putting chemicals on their lawn for a green lawn. This runs into the lake, basically makeing a more green lake too! All the algae has made for several “NO SWIMMING” signs. Perhaps the same cause around Lake Wales triggered this event.
Umas story is also sad. When will we learn?
On October 11, 2009 at 11:12 am
Interesting article.
On October 11, 2009 at 11:32 am
People have been destroying Florida for years. The Everglades has been changed because of “flood control,” and Lake Okeechobee is in the hands of the “water management” district (what an oxymoron). Soon, Florida will be all concrete – with high rise condos blocking the entire coastline. Sad. The real Florida is disappearing at an alarming rate, so all you tourists better take some good pictures, because that’s all that will be left. We should do to Disney World what they did to that lake.(And all the other theme parks). Florida was once a very wild and untamed place. Theme parks and beaches are not the “real” Florida. Good article, but as long as these “Mom and Pop” politicians are in control of our resources, this sort of thing will continue. It’s all about money and convenience.
On October 11, 2009 at 11:51 am
This doesn’t surprise me as I am a native of Florida and have seen other situations like this over on the east coast.
On October 11, 2009 at 1:22 pm
It’s pretty much the same going on here in Louisiana, Ken! Humanity is pooping in their nest and sometimes it seems that taking positive action is either coming along too slowly or hardly any changes made at all. Yours is an eye-opening article and I enjoyed reading it very much, although sad for the fish, and stupid for those who thought they were doing good!
On October 11, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Progress has really messed up a lot of things….. sad.
On October 11, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Doing up things overnight is inevitably at the cost of something precious.Sad.Pseudo perfection is boring, No scope to explore.
On October 11, 2009 at 2:08 pm
What a depressing picture, What a shame,
On October 11, 2009 at 2:31 pm
So sad this is another example why human must not evolve in Mother Nature
On October 11, 2009 at 3:48 pm
We humans are always well intentioned, aren’t we? It seems like anything we humans touch, we kill. Once again mankind does more harm than good. And it should matter to everyone living on this planet. Unfortunately we have our own “priorities”.
On October 11, 2009 at 3:54 pm
This sort of thing is still happening. In the UK ‘they’ are importing non native insects to eat Japanese knotweed. Why don’t ‘they’ ever listen?
On October 11, 2009 at 3:55 pm
I’ll stick with your last statement. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Our present situation seemed started out as a scientific experiment to lessen our loads but it seemed a greater burden is yet to be shouldered by humanity as a whole.
On October 11, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Sometimes Humanity must learn lessons over and over again, but we can learn, even if it takes an emergency to get us all on the same page. However, mistakes are not a good enough reason to cease trying to master life and physics.
On October 11, 2009 at 5:55 pm
very nice
On October 11, 2009 at 6:03 pm
So very true I’m afraid!! We need not tamper with mother nature!
On October 11, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Well done! Sad that man is so egotistical as to think he can improve on a finely tuned and well balanced ecosystem.
On October 11, 2009 at 7:39 pm
I used to live on the Florida Space Coast and visited Lake Wales many times. Beautiful place. So sad to hear of such outcome of manipulating nature! Goes to prove Man should leave nature alone!
On October 11, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Gripping.
On October 11, 2009 at 8:18 pm
What a mess. What a waste. It makes me angry.
On October 11, 2009 at 8:41 pm
When will we ever learn to leave mother nature to her own devices? poor fishermen.
On October 11, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Let’s hope this inspires those in power to rejuvenate it. Those carp have gobbled up our beautiful Murray River, too.
Nice length and very readable . Thanks, Ken . j
On October 11, 2009 at 10:50 pm
Mankind has been a threat to creation since time began. Will we ever learn? Thanks for a very thought provoking article. Too bad the right people cannot take a hint.
On October 11, 2009 at 11:23 pm
Good Article! Things for some reason are going wrongs.. Nature might be calling it a day.
On October 12, 2009 at 12:29 am
good article
On October 12, 2009 at 1:02 am
Ken,
This is as heartbreaking as it gets. Our government officials need to have their heads examined. That picture would have been a beautiful picture with boats on the lake and fisherman lining the shore. They should have went with the hydrilla harvester or the chemical means. Such a sad, sad story Ken. The city should be forced to replenish this lake. Great article!
Randy
On October 12, 2009 at 3:14 am
oh that’s so sad
poor fishies.
On October 12, 2009 at 4:14 am
So one more little ecological disaster caused by the introduction of foreign species. Things like this unfortunately happen everywhere.
On October 12, 2009 at 4:41 am
Hello Ken; It is sad that mankind rushes in where angels fear to tread. There must be a way to replenish the lake; In this country our government agencies and the Maori people make sure that nothing is put into the lakes that will cause plant or fish to die out; As far as I know our lakes are still stocked with good sized fish and the fishermen enjoy their fishing; We have rangers here to protect our wild life; though like any where else in the world we have spoilers who leave rubbish on our beaches and picnic sites. I guess it comes down to respecting the land and water ways and taking responiablity for our actions; God put man on earth to take care of it and all the life forms on it.Thank you for writing the article, it is something that needs to be sorted out.
On October 12, 2009 at 6:46 am
excellent piece of work…My best wishes to you…
On October 12, 2009 at 2:39 pm
I have heard of similar stories before of interfering with nature…
On October 12, 2009 at 4:55 pm
What a terrible loss!
On October 12, 2009 at 5:17 pm
It does seem astounding that nobody bothered to do any research before this decision was made, and also that nobody saw what was happening in time to attempt to put it right!
On October 12, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Just one of many such instances where man has made a mess. And now we think we should attempt something like cloning? Scary prospect.
On October 12, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Very informative, thanks!
On October 12, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Wow Ken it looks like it matter to a hell of a lot of people!Congrats for the hot content
I loved the ending,you summed it up perfectly.You think they could have at least stocked it with trout!!
On October 12, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Man should not mess with those things he has little knowledge of.
A marine biologist could have advised them, had they been wise enough to consult one.
On October 13, 2009 at 1:14 am
nice one
On October 13, 2009 at 1:43 am
One small step by local athorities one giant leap (backwards) for mankind…
On October 13, 2009 at 5:15 am
inspiring post
http://rajagiriworld.com/dietforadults-nutrition.html
On October 13, 2009 at 6:01 am
Why don’t they bring in more fish?
On October 13, 2009 at 7:42 am
Well, you know the government, they’re here to help. (Yeah, right!) When will we learn that things are as they are for a reason.
On October 13, 2009 at 8:17 am
I had to come back and congradulate you for getting on the Hot Content List. Keep up the good work!
On October 13, 2009 at 9:37 am
Well writen and good work, it caught me by surprise, I was looking for a techniqical problem. Awesome
On October 13, 2009 at 11:49 am
Well composed with the sad message often known.
On October 13, 2009 at 3:19 pm
I agree that there is definitely something wrong with that picture.
Hmmm, a catchy title, a strong point, and an almost funny clincher. Good work. Thanks for sharing.
On October 13, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Great Job, and its on HC!!
On October 13, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Great article! You’re brought attention to an important subject. No one would guess there was anything wrong when you look at that picture. I was looking for some kind of technical problem or joke… but this is definitely neither. It’s sad what we’ve done to the planet.
On October 13, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Wow, so sad, can it be restored or is it too late and costly?
On October 14, 2009 at 12:14 am
like it!!! about time humanity understands that mother nature should not be messed with
On October 14, 2009 at 12:58 am
Yes indeed. Messing with nature can bring damaging results. Thanks.
On October 14, 2009 at 6:38 am
thanks for the information
On October 14, 2009 at 8:31 am
Ken you’ve been on the hot content for days now how did you manage that?! Well done!
On October 14, 2009 at 9:09 am
“History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of man…Godzilla”-Blue Oyster Cult.
It is sad how we think we can mold nature to fit our purposes.
I hope that the lake can be re-stocked with the original plant and fish species.
On October 14, 2009 at 12:46 pm
a good fisherman will find a way to fish even in an empty lake.
nice write.
On October 14, 2009 at 1:17 pm
sad article………so bad for the game fish but didn’t they know that the carp would eat all the weeds very quickly?
On October 15, 2009 at 2:24 am
One should think three time before action.
On October 19, 2009 at 9:29 am
Very nice….
On October 22, 2009 at 5:05 am
nice Very….(great)
On October 28, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Poor fisherman.
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