Asian Carp: Lake Michigan In Danger, Supreme Court To Act

The Asian carp crisis is coming to a head Tuesday, as the Army Corps of Engineers reports finding invasive carp DNA just miles from Lake Michigan.

The report coincides with a U.S. Supreme Court announcement that the tribunal will rule on a lawsuit in the matter this Friday. Six states are suing the State of Illinois to force the state to take swifter and stronger action to stop the carp from entering the lake.

Asian carp is an invasive species of fish that is, according to the EPA, "large, extremely prolific, and consume[s] vast amounts of food." The states bringing the lawsuit--Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York--all share borders with the Great Lakes system, and are concerned that the Asian carp will decimate the indigenous ecosystems of the Lakes.

The Court is likely to face increased pressure, given the data from the new report. The Army Corps of Engineers says that environmental DNA matching the Asian carp was found in fish feces as close to Lake Michigan as the Wilmette Pumping Station. While researchers stress that the DNA result is inconclusive, it suggests that the carp are closing in.

Sen. Dick Durbin and a number of Illinois politicians and researchers met today at the Shedd Aquarium to discuss possible solutions to the Asian carp menace, including closing the shipping lanes and re-poisoning the canals.

"We are not in denial about the threat of this invasive species," Sen. Durbin said.

Comments

[ejhickey]

07:46 PM on 01/13/2010

The locks should be kept open. the business they do and the jobs they provide are far more than the fishing industry on the Great Lakes

[benji85]

08:38 PM on 01/12/2010

Probable outcome:
Let's import another fish that eats carp. Everyone agrees, the fish are brought in, it works for a while, then the imported fish eat the native fish as well.

[UnoDosUltraviolento]

06:54 PM on 01/12/2010

Time to deport those Asians! They are taking our jobs!

Respectfully,

Native Fish.

[zombywulf]

11:04 PM on 01/12/2010

Why not just tell the other illegals their good to eat

[etiennemacchias]

05:08 PM on 01/12/2010

The Asians are taking over!

[zombywulf]

11:03 PM on 01/12/2010

their fish are too

[tones]

04:02 PM on 01/12/2010

i don't understand why they just don't close the locks. The harbors arn't used any more so what money would be gone missing

[1manisland]

07:55 PM on 01/12/2010

They still need to open those locks after large rain totals. Unfortunately the 35 yr. - $4 billion Deep Tunnel Project hasn't been a total success. People will not be thrilled to lose thousands of dollars in personal items, furnaces, washers and dryers etc. just like the old days. There is definitely still traffic between the lake and the waterways through those locks. It will be interesting to see what comes out of this. Regardless of what their strategy, it will not be good.

[dans5843]

03:40 PM on 01/12/2010

This is a HUGE STORY And Problem!