There
is another danger to the frog population that many humans need to become aware
of. Almost every culture around the world has some variation of a food delicacy
and on the French and Asian menus frog legs are the most popular dish. Many
environmentalists estimate that certain frogs in various locations may be
declining because of human consumption of frogs. In France, it is estimated
that 120 million frogs are consumed each year and in California during the late
19th century, the miners almost ate the red legged frog to extinction (Kriger,
2008-2001). The bullfrog is in high demand because of their large size and they
provide the amount of meat required to be considered consumable. Over the
recent years, frog farming has becoming increasingly popular but not very
successful in the overall health and population of frogs.
Aquaculture
is the growing of aquatic species in net pens or tanks (Cunningham
& Cunningham, 2012). Just as fish are being farmed raised, frogs are
too for a few reasons like education, science, and medical advances. Overall,
the main reason why anyone would start a frog farm is so they can make a profit
exporting/importing the frogs as food. This may seem like a winning solution to
help keep frogs from becoming extinct but many will argue that frog aquaculture
is actually quite the opposite.
For
example, it is proven that those who live in Virginia are not successful at
frog farming. Changing climate temperatures play a part of the failure because
frogs need ideal stable conditions to mature. In Virginia and most places
around the world, most of the farmers happen to exist near a habitat that frogs
are already living naturally in the wild and are being sold for profit. By
taking a frog from its natural habitat is aiding the decline of the frog
population. The time it takes a bullfrog from conception to reach full adulthood
size is three years. The food supply is demanding for adult sized bullfrogs
because it takes 1.15 pounds of live food to feed a 0.4 pound bullfrog with
marketable legs ("Frog farming, fact," 2004). This is a problem
because adult frogs become carnivores and will eat younger vulnerable frogs
when needed.
When
frogs are the products of import/export around the world they are either
shipped frozen or live. Biologist Brian Gratwicke of the Smithsonian
Institution's National Zoo in Washington, D.C. agrees that when frogs are
shipped live, especially in the United States, it causes the environment a
greater harm as the frogs have a higher potential to carry disease and become
an invasive species. The chances of spreading disease are slightly lower if the
frogs are shipped frozen in clean, disease free water (Holden, 2009).
Two
diseases that farm raised frogs have are chytrid and red-legged disease.
Red-legged disease is a bacterial infection and brought upon by overcrowded
frog populations. If the frogs are farm raised, they are not getting the space
they need to roam free and if one frog is infected with chytrid, then more than
likely all the others will be too because the water supply will have chytrid.
Bullfrogs are carriers of the chytrid disease even though they are immune. In
addition, when the live frogs either escape or get let go because they might
not be suitable for the buyer, they are now considered an invasive species in
at least 15 other countries (Kriger, 2008-2001). They will eat "native
frogs, birds, bats, snakes and other wildlife, and spread diseases"
(Kriger, 2008-2001). Shipping infected frogs across the world is not good
practice and is troublesome for the survival of other species.
In
France, because they have almost eaten all their native frog species to
extinction, they have made it illegal to eat their own frogs. France now has to
import frogs from other countries such as China, Indonesia, India, Philippians,
Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Bangladeshi. Yet, all the mentioned
countries are banned from selling except Bangladeshi, because the frogs contain
salmonella (FDA, 2011).
Overall,
the frog trade market is not good for any country. The use of aquaculture is
not a solution to saving the frogs from extinction or disease. The only way
these tiny creatures can survive is if humans are to leave them alone and not
consume them as food. Let nature do its job just as she has done for the past
180 million years.
Sources:
Cunningham, W., & Cunningham, M. A. (2012). Environmental science a global concern. (12 ed., pp. 159-167). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.
FDA. (2011, October 06). "detention without physical examination of frog legs". Retrieved from http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_24.html
Frog farming, fact or fiction?. (2004, March). Retrieved from http://mdc.mo.gov/sites/default/files/resources/2010/05/4899_2850.pdf
Helfrich, L. (2009, MAY 01). Commercial frog farming. Retrieved from http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/420/420-255/420-255.html
Holden, C. (2009, Nov. 23). Trade in frog legs may spread disease. Retrieved from http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2009/11/23-02.html
Kriger, K. (2008-2001). The problem with frog legs. Retrieved from http://www.savethefrogs.com/actions/frog-legs/
