Concerns Over Racism Prompt Effort to Rename Invasive Fish
2021-07-25
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1Four different kinds of carp fish from Asia that now live in lakes and rivers in the United States are called "Asian carp."
2But it is not an official, scientific name.
3The fish are considered an invasive species.
4This means their population cannot be controlled.
5The carp eat food and take up resources other native fish need to live.
6The carp were first brought to the southern United States about 50 years ago.
7They were placed in some small bodies of water as a way to control unwanted plant life.
8But now they have spread into large rivers and lakes across the country.
9Many states in the central part of the U.S. have programs in place to kill the carp.
10In fact, at one time, there was a sign at the airport in Minneapolis, Minnesota that read: "Kill Asian Carp."
11No one knows exactly who came up with the name Asian carp.
12But after a number of hate crimes against Asian-Americans in recent years, people are working to change the name others use for the fish.
13An Asian-American politician in Minnesota, Foung Hawj, heard about the sign.
14He started working to change the name to "invasive carp."
15Government agencies in Minnesota that work with fish and wildlife agreed to change the name that they use for the fish.
16The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also decided to start calling the fish "invasive carp."
17Charlie Wooley is director of the Great Lakes office for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
18He said, "We wanted to move away from any terms that cast Asian culture and people in a negative light."
19A North American organization working to control the population of the fish, known as Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee, also agreed that it would change the name it uses in August.
20Other wildlife organizations are also trying to change the names they use for some animals and insects.
21The Entomological Society of America studies insects.
22It is no longer calling one moth species and another ant species "gypsies."
23Gypsy is the name for an ethnic group that started in South Asia.
24Some consider the term gypsy to be insulting.
25While the carp are no longer being called "Asian," it is still unknown whether they will be called "invasive carp" in the future.
26A number of interest groups are working to rename the fish so that Americans may want to eat it.
27While people eat carp in many places in the world, it is not popular in the U.S.
28Kevin Irons studies fish populations for the state of Illinois.
29He said C-A-R-P is "a four-letter word in this country."
30In American English, a four-letter word is an expression that means a bad word.
31People in the seafood business are working to come up with a name that sounds good.
32In Illinois, the state is making advertisements that call carp "The Perfect Catch" and "delicious."
33The new name, however, has not been made public.
34Name changes for fish have worked in the past.
35Fish now known as orange roughy and Chilean sea bass used to be called slimehead and Patagonian toothfish.
36With the new names, people started eating them often.
37Even if the carp get new names at restaurants or food stores, scientists will probably come up with names of their own.
38Many fish have names that come from Latin.
39Fish scientists say they never called the carp "Asian" or "invasive."
40One scientist, Song Qian, thinks the four different fish should get different names.
41Qian is a professor at the University of Toledo.
42He says calling the fish from Asia "bad" or "invasive" makes them sound harmful.
43However, in their native countries, the fish are considered good to eat and represent good luck in China.
44"That's why there's talk of cultural insensitivity," he said.
45Foung Hawj, the Minnesota politician, was born in Laos and came to the U.S. after the war in Vietnam.
46He said he is glad the "Asian carp" name is going away.
47The discussion about the fish, he noted, "is a small thing, but it can resonate greatly."
48I'm Dan Friedell.
1Four different kinds of carp fish from Asia that now live in lakes and rivers in the United States are called "Asian carp." 2But it is not an official, scientific name. 3The fish are considered an invasive species. This means their population cannot be controlled. The carp eat food and take up resources other native fish need to live. 4The carp were first brought to the southern United States about 50 years ago. They were placed in some small bodies of water as a way to control unwanted plant life. But now they have spread into large rivers and lakes across the country. 5Many states in the central part of the U.S. have programs in place to kill the carp. In fact, at one time, there was a sign at the airport in Minneapolis, Minnesota that read: "Kill Asian Carp." 6No one knows exactly who came up with the name Asian carp. But after a number of hate crimes against Asian-Americans in recent years, people are working to change the name others use for the fish. 7An Asian-American politician in Minnesota, Foung Hawj, heard about the sign. He started working to change the name to "invasive carp." 8Government agencies in Minnesota that work with fish and wildlife agreed to change the name that they use for the fish. 9The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also decided to start calling the fish "invasive carp." 10Charlie Wooley is director of the Great Lakes office for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He said, "We wanted to move away from any terms that cast Asian culture and people in a negative light." 11A North American organization working to control the population of the fish, known as Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee, also agreed that it would change the name it uses in August. 12Other wildlife organizations are also trying to change the names they use for some animals and insects. 13The Entomological Society of America studies insects. It is no longer calling one moth species and another ant species "gypsies." Gypsy is the name for an ethnic group that started in South Asia. Some consider the term gypsy to be insulting. 14While the carp are no longer being called "Asian," it is still unknown whether they will be called "invasive carp" in the future. 15A number of interest groups are working to rename the fish so that Americans may want to eat it. While people eat carp in many places in the world, it is not popular in the U.S. 16Kevin Irons studies fish populations for the state of Illinois. He said C-A-R-P is "a four-letter word in this country." In American English, a four-letter word is an expression that means a bad word. 17People in the seafood business are working to come up with a name that sounds good. 18In Illinois, the state is making advertisements that call carp "The Perfect Catch" and "delicious." 19The new name, however, has not been made public. 20Name changes for fish have worked in the past. 21Fish now known as orange roughy and Chilean sea bass used to be called slimehead and Patagonian toothfish. With the new names, people started eating them often. 22Even if the carp get new names at restaurants or food stores, scientists will probably come up with names of their own. Many fish have names that come from Latin. Fish scientists say they never called the carp "Asian" or "invasive." 23One scientist, Song Qian, thinks the four different fish should get different names. Qian is a professor at the University of Toledo. 24He says calling the fish from Asia "bad" or "invasive" makes them sound harmful. However, in their native countries, the fish are considered good to eat and represent good luck in China. 25"That's why there's talk of cultural insensitivity," he said. 26Foung Hawj, the Minnesota politician, was born in Laos and came to the U.S. after the war in Vietnam. 27He said he is glad the "Asian carp" name is going away. The discussion about the fish, he noted, "is a small thing, but it can resonate greatly." 28I'm Dan Friedell. 29John Flesher wrote this story for The Associated Press. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 30What do you think would be a good name for the fish? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 31_____________________________________________________________________ 32Words in This Story 33species - n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants 34cast - v. to send something forward 35negative light- adj. making something known in a bad or unfair way 36delicious - adj. very pleasant to taste 37insensitive - adj. showing that you do not know or care about the feelings of other people 38resonate - v. to have particular meaning or importance for someone : to affect or appeal to someone in a personal or emotional way