Adaptation
As climate change imposes a disturbing new normal on our global landscapes, scientist and National Geographic Explorer Alizé Carrère goes around the world where remarkable examples of adaptation have become the bedrock of survival and growth.
Rising seas, glacial melt, and the spread of invasive species are just a few of the serious environmental challenges threatening communities around the world today. With scientist and National Geographic Explorer Alizé Carrère as our guide, ADAPTATION presents us with examples of the brilliant and surprising ways that communities are adapting to change.
This grant went towards the production of the ADAPTATION: Invasive Carp of Kentucky episode.
Once introduced as a well-intentioned biocontrol experiment, Asian Carp have exploded into one of the most destructive invasive species in American waterways—overrunning the Mississippi river watershed, endangering native ecosystems, and even injuring boaters as Silver Carp launch themselves skyward at the sound of engines. This short film, which is one episode of a PBS Digital docuseries called ADAPTATION, reframes the invasive Asian Carp crisis through the eyes of Angie Yu, a Chinese-American entrepreneur who sees opportunity where others see disaster. Drawing from Chinese perspectives and cultural traditions that prize carp as a symbol of prosperity and nourishment, Angie founded Two Rivers Fisheries in the town of Wickliffe, Kentucky—the United States’ first large-scale Asian Carp processing facility. By turning an invasive fish into a global export, she’s creating jobs, reducing ecological pressure, and challenging Americans to rethink what we call a “trash fish.” It’s a story about adaptation, globalization, and how shifting perspectives can turn an environmental problem into an unexpected opportunity.