The economy around Lake Paqua depends on fishing of the lake's landlocked salmon population. In recent years, scarcity of food for salmon there has caused a decline in both the number and the size of the adult salmon in the lake. As a result, the region's revenues from salmon fishing have declined significantly. To remedy this situation, officials plan to introduce shrimp, which can serve as a food source for adult salmon, into Lake Paqua.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously calls into question the plan's chances for success?


A. Salmon is not a popular food among residents of the Lake Paqua region.

B. Tourists coming to fish for sport generate more income for residents of the Lake Paqua region than does commercial fishing.

C. The shrimp to be introduced into Lake Paqua are of a variety that is too small to be harvested for human consumption.

D. The primary food for both shrimp and juvenile salmon is plankton, which is not abundant in Lake Paqua.

E. Fishing regulations prohibit people from keeping any salmon they have caught in Lake Paqua that are smaller than a certain minimum size
_________________

This is an argument that follows the pattern of problem and solution - the problem is the salmon population is declining because the food for salmon is declining. The solution is to add shrimp to the lake so the salmon can eat it. But what if shrimp will somehow cause some other issue.

Option D- This answer choice says that the shrimp and the juvenile salmon will be competing for the same scarce food source

Since the shrimps to be introduced into Lake Paqua are of a variety that is too small to be harvested for human consumption, it will be a good idea to use it to feed the salmons. Moreover, it doesn't say the shrimps are too small for Salmon's consumption. So not a weakener.

Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel - get 7 Days of GMAT Club Tests