Cleaner Greener China

Algae blooms in China are becoming a real issue for many bodies of water in China, and solutions are needed.

Looking recently into using algae to create energy, which is a very limited technology at this point, I came across another option that may have more practical applications for China.  The Alewife

As reported in the August 9 Morning Sentinal article Alewives’ effect on algae nets debate:

Alewives may be the “magic bullet” that will significantly reduce the annual algae blooms in China Lake.

The article paints a very intereting position on using these fish as:

He explained that zooplankton — tiny animals in the water — eat the algae and in turn are eaten by the alewives. The alewives incorporate into their bodies the phosphorus that nourished the algae. When the alewives migrate out of the pond in the fall, the phosphorus goes with them and is not available for next summer’s algae.

Which would result in a reduction in 3.5 million USD in remediation work.

Another study that looks at the role of Alewives, and their impact on algae blooms, can be found in the PDF document The Amazing Alewife

Greener Products algae, water