First Asian Carp Found In Waterway Near Great Lakes

Date: 25-Jun-10
Country: USA
Author: AndrewStern

A 20-pound (9-kg) Asian carp was fished out of a waterway close to the Great Lakes and beyond twin electric barriers designed to keep them out, authorities said on Wednesday.

It was the first time the voracious invader has been found beyond the electric barriers in the waterways that connect Lake Michigan, one of the five Great Lakes, with the Mississippi River basin, where the carp have proliferated.

"It's important evidence, and the more information we know about where the carp are, the better ... that's the reason we're intensifying the effort" to find any Asian carp beyond the barriers, said Chris McCloud, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The live Bighead carp was fished out on Tuesday by a fisherman contracted by the government in Lake Calumet, 6 miles from Lake Michigan. It could have been dumped there or could have found its way past the electric barriers meant to block all fish species, McCloud said.

Michigan and several other U.S. states bordering the Great Lakes have filed suit demanding a separation of the two basins, fearing Asian carp will ruin the Great Lakes' $7 billion fishery. Several environmental groups support the separation of the basins, which were connected by man-made waterways a century ago.

Commercial interests including tour boat operators, barge companies, and the recreational boating industry oppose the closing of the connecting waterways.

Federal and local authorities have embarked on a long-term project to build more barriers, search for invasive carp, and use fish poisons and other measures to kill the carp before they become established.

Source...

The House Armed Services Committee’s draft for the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act contains a section buried deep in the document establishing an alarming partnership between the U.S. and Israeli militaries.Bowne Report: Section 224 Will End…

"The best action ever, already signed and shared with all my friends, even those who are asleep and label me as far-right, still with their heads in the sand. Although it's not in Spanish, this petition is worth reading and signing.…"

"I swa a doc on this but it was done by humans in China-the males were-are released on a small island -very near the coast that has a severe mosquito problem."

Replies

Jim June 25, 2010 at 6:24am

When will they ever learn. We have gone through all this in Australia with European Carp being introduced to the Murray River in the early 70's and decimating the whole system. It's only now that the native fish are making their way back. We have a law here that it is prohibited to throw back any, dead or alive carp to the river. Idiots have even brought they back to Adelaide and introduced them into creeks and lakes around the suburbs.

This reply was deleted.

First Asian Carp Found In Waterway Near Great Lakes

Replies

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.