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+--- Thread: coqui frog solution (/showthread.php?tid=894)
coqui frog solution - ravingpunatic - 02-02-2007
i have lived in hawaiian shores since 1990 and remember the tranquil nights before coqui frogs. over the years i have witnessed (correction, heard) the coqui frog problem steadily spread throughout the big island, inevitably marching downhill from pahoa town and invading my neighborhood and my own yard.
i have seen the inadequate, practically futile response of our government (caffeine, citric acid spraying), and well-intentioned but equally ineffective community response to this invasive pest.
and lastly i have suffered the fools who have had the unmitigated gall to suggest we accept the frogs and learn to live with their deafening noise and yet-to-be-fully realized impact on the hawaiian landscape.
to these latter idiots i say: NEVER. same as snakes, the coqui has NO place in the hawaiian ecosystem. i will kill every coqui i can despite knowing my limited efforts will not fully eradicate the little amphibians. I have given eradication much thought, and feel this is the forum to present my thoughts for discussion and feedback.
the primary drawback of the sanctioned spray approach, regardless of what u spray, is that it will only kill frogs where u spray, and even then not very effectively. since u can't spray everywhere, the frogs will eventually return.
we dont need to buy more sprayers and work harder. we need to work SMARTER.
the university of hawaii has a world-class genetics research and development department, the one that was able to create mice that glowed in the dark by recombinant DNA engineering.
our governor and legislators are willing to throw big money at this problem.
now some of u may already know where i m going with this, but i have an idea, a novel approach to getting rid of the coqui, which won't be without it's detractors, but we need to start thinking outside the box, and talking about realistic alternatives.
i propose we fund our own university to do a feasibility study of which the primary objective will be to determine if it is possible to genetically engineer and create a female coqui frog with a modified RNA/DNA sequence. now i m not talking jurassic park here, but simply, can our scientists remove a single trait from the coqui's genetic code.
simply put, i propose we take away the male coqui's ability to make that high decibel "KO KEE" sound, which is how they attract the female and how the female is able to find the male to reproduce. i envision our scientists being able to clone thousands of these female frogs with this modification.
after that we simply need to release these modified frogs into controlled areas and see what happens. first, the modified females will be attracted to the males in the area and reproduce, as they would normally.
however, all the males produced will be unable to make that loud "KO KEE" sound. and all the females produced will carry on the modified genetic code and only be able to produce males without this noise producing ability.
the approach has a two-prong solution: first, it will eliminate the noxious noise problem, which is the primary negative impact of the frog. second, without the male's ability to attract the female, and with the female unable to find the male to reproduce, their population will theoretically diminish and hopefully, ultimately become extinct.
i m not suggesting this idea is not without drawbacks and possible repercussions. right now GM (genetically modified) species of fruits and other crops are touted as threatening native species which have developed from eons of natural evolution. yet i see no problem since the coqui is not native to our islands.
well that is my solution. or at least one possible solution. i welcome discussion and feedback on this. thank u for your time and consideration.
RE: coqui frog solution - Kelena - 02-03-2007
Here, here. Brainstorming is exactly what is required to address the coqui problem. Of course, we must first agree it is a problem. As the frog is a standard disclosure in real estate contracts, along with the possibility of molten lava, I think we have step one out of the way.
Step 2 is eradication. Pocket eradication does nothing to restore silence. It will only reduce the noise to a tolerable level, like background noise. However, until a grand plan is devised, this is all we have. And so we need to encourage neighbors to go on coqui patrol within their neighborhood.
Lastly, neighbors need to band together to communicate to lawmakers the importance of a statewide approach to the problem, especially in light of the Superferry, which is bound to carry this pest far and wide. If you think coquis love the Big Island, wait until they get to Kauai (which they have in a very small pocket near a reservoir on the southside).
With respect to your particular idea, Darwin may interfere as the females will only mate with the loud frogs, just as humans do. But I will support almost any idea that aims to reduce the coqui. As a prospective resident of the island, nothing, but nothing turned me off more than this little frog.
Whenever I think of the frog, I think of that scene from the Monty Python movie where the guy is warning the knights about a most dangerous creature which turns out to be a rabbit. The knights scoff when they see the bunny. Then the bunny flies through the air and cuts the knights to pieces (something like that).
At present, the coqui is not seen as much of a threat. I saw ---or heard--- it as a threat when first I drove past Lava Tree State Park in the dark.
People live in Hawaii for the peace it provides. Peace and quiet go together. That quiet has been broken. Only a statewide solution can restore the peace.
RE: coqui frog solution - Momi - 02-03-2007
Aloha Everyone,
Thanks for this thread. It is an important one. I don't know if gmo's will help us because even if they take away the sounds (which attracks the females) I don't think it will stop the propagation of the little creatures. Even if they spliced a gene into the females to make them sterile, I believe that life finds it way. As in the case of the sterile papaya seeds. I don't believe they are completely sterile and some organic farmers who had their papayas tested found contamination. Maybe through cross pollination. etc.. I respect the scientific world but I'm worried about more gmo's being created to stop this. Thanks for mentioning to test a controlled area but can we really control an area of frogs? That would be my question. I few years back I called Peabark to tell them my concerns about the gmo papaya's they said their has been no open field testing. Well, that is so not true. Gmo papaya's are in the open markets, stores etc.. because they look nicer. So I don't know if this will work but I respect the ravingpunatics comments. If their was a way to "environmentally soundly" take care of the issue, it would be good.
One of my friends thinks the coqui population will crash on it's own but what other native species will dissapear before they crash.
I have enjoyed the quiteness on my Puna land but we have one coqui now and can't find it and more coming from the other lot behind ours. It is very frustrating. I would join a neighborhood spraying or whatever it takes but don't you have to take a class before you get the sprayer? That part turns me off.
Yah, I've heard people say they like the frogs etc... but the damage they do to the environment is bigger than we think. Spraying also changes the environment too so it is a very hard situation.
I'm not an expert on gmo's but have been aware of some of the issues.
RE: coqui frog solution - JerryCarr - 02-03-2007
I detest the coquis as much or more than the next guy, but I am not optimistic about the ability of Hawaii to fight them and win. Perhaps some stunning new technology or biology will come along, but we must always try to anticipate the negative unintended consequences of what we do. It is possible, as has proven to be the case in other instances, that the cure could be worse than the disease. But having said all that, I am in favor of continuing and improving eradication efforts using whatever safe means become available.
I have commented on the following before, but it bears repeating. The time to stop these sorts of threats is at the point of entry into the ecosystem. Better inspection, quarantine, and quick response to new invasive species infestations is absolutely necessary. When the coqui first appeared, the politicians and DLNR officials did the usual Hawaii government thing, which was talk story for a good long period of time, then finally agree that there was a problem, then talk story some more about what to do, and then lament that there really wasn't enough money to do anything significant about it. By this point the problem is practically out of control. This pattern of government response has taken place over and over again, and often ends up with defeat being declared and nothing being done. (This also applies to other things besides invasive species.)
Some sort of rapid response team with real authority, funding, and political independence needs to be set up to deal with these issues. There are WORSE things than coqui out there, and we need to be ready next time.
Cheers,
Jerry
RE: coqui frog solution - oink - 02-03-2007
How about an aggressive eradication program like Fl used in it's citrus canker eradication program?
S. FL Islander to be
RE: coqui frog solution - Momi - 02-03-2007
I'm unaware of that program. Can you tell us what they did?
RE: coqui frog solution - Jeffhale - 02-03-2007
This seems like a laugh but, how bout a Coqui zapper.
Have to mimic the male's sound in a small tunnel chamber or sumtin just set it on the ground and when the female comes a callin, ZAP!
Zap! Zap! Zip! all night long will be the new sound, like music to your ears. What a peaceful sleep hearing the electricity zip and zap them frogs threw out the night.
Rest at ease while the zapper zips them Coqies!
Available with or without Teflon for ease of cleaning.
Coming to your local stores everywhere!
Now taking presale/pre-manufacture orders!
RE: coqui frog solution - Brad W - 02-03-2007
Wait till Spring warms things up. Right now they're practically in hibernation.
I don't look for the State or County of Hawaii to do anything. At least not for quite a while. I say that because most people in any kind of position of authority/control consider the coqui to be a Puna problem. In case you haven't noticed, we're not well represented. We have friends who live downtown where there are no frogs (yet), and they think this is kindof a funny thing.
Mr. Coqui is here to stay, at least until someone in a position of authority makes a difference and devotes the necessary horsepower and resources to a cure. Think about where you live - it's Big Island Hawaii - nothing positive is going to happen unless some serious negative financial (think tourist, real estate, commercial) repercussions smacks influential people upside the head. That's a long road.
I'm not holdin' my breath. I put together a spray rig and it works great. It gives me a chance to make nice with my neighbors and they appreciate the hell out of it. Our end of the street is pretty quiet.
RE: coqui frog solution - garymatt - 02-03-2007
Actually the zapper is not that far removed from another idea that was suggested to me by Wylie. I'm sure he wouldn't mind me sharing the idea if someone actually implements it.
Record the female call. Play it back in a loop where the speaker is placed in an area that traps the frogs when they go to it.
This is a little short on details but it sounds feasible to me.
The only drawback I see is maybe having to listen to the recording if you don't locate it far enough away.
RE: coqui frog solution - oink - 02-03-2007
http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/press/2006/01112006_2.html The Florida program didn't go well and cost a bundle before they gave up.
S. FL Islander to be