Let's go fishing, son!

It was a very happy day for Justin. Today, his dad was taking him to go fishing! Justin loved to go fishing. He also really likes riding in the boat they use to fish.

Hooray!

They arrive to their fishing spot, and Justin is beyond excited. He wants to catch alot of  colorful fish to bring them home to eat. They're his favorite kind of fish too.

They finally set off and were ready to fish. While the dad was rowing the boat, Justin was peering his head over the boat to try to see any of his favorite fish. He did see some of them, but he also saw something and couldn't believe his eyes... 

Don't get too close to the edge, son.

Not only were there much less of Justin's favorite fish, there were alot more of another kind of fish. So, so many of them! They were causing way more splashes than usual!

Dad, there are so little colorful fishies and too many weird fishies that I've never seen before!

It was truly a very bad situation. Not only were very little amounts of colorful fish, there was a giant amount of the other kind of fish. More importantly, where did all of those other fish come from and why are there so many?

You're right, son. Oh goodness, what happened to our fishing spot?

What we have here is a bad case of invasive species, kid. And by the looks of it, we'll need to work fast to save the ecosystem.

In the distance seems to be a fellow fisherman who seems to know what has happened here.  From the sound of his voice, things seem pretty serious.

Mister, I'm confused. What is a "invasive species"? Is it a bad thing? Don't we just need more colorful fishies in the water like before?

Clueless Justin shows his concern for invasive species, but is not aware of  what they actually do. Hopefully the other fisherman has some helpful advice.

I'm glad you asked, kid. I'd be more than happy to explain to you what is happening here, as well as why it's all so important.

Thank goodness! The fisherman has agreed to help us understand what we don' t know. Sit back and pay attention because it will be important!

Fisherman: To start off, let's explain what an ecosystem is. An ecosystem is basically a natural home for all the living things in an area. This includes plants, animals, bugs and everything in between! For example, the ecosystem of this lake has alot of colorful fish and underwater plants. Not only that, but the colorful fish has an important job for the ecosystem.