Recently, DNA evidence by Notre Dame University scientists seems to confirm that Asian carp have breached the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ electrical fish barrier, which protects Lake Michigan from invasive species such as the Asian carp.
As a result of the recent evidence illustrating a possible barrier breach, an area of the Ship Canal was temporarily poisoned with rotenone. So far, after the poisoning of the Ship Canal, “none of the prolific two species of Asian carp, the Bighead carp and the Silver carp, have turned up in the huge fish kill that began overnight along 6 miles of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal southwest of the city.” However, the carp may already be in Lake Michigan, so the “barriers and the effort is too little, and, or too late.”
The Asian carp problem is also prompting legal action. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm wants Attorney General Mike Cox to “take legal action to try to close the Chicago shipping canal if other efforts to block the migration of Asian carp into Lake Michigan don’t work.”
Farmers originally used Asian carp to control overgrowth of aquatic weeds. However, the voracious carp “were introduced [by] southern fish farms more than 10 years ago [when] flooding sent the fish into the Mississippi River, where they have thrived and migrated northward, overtaking native fish along the way.” More from Reuters:
Along some stretches of the Illinois River, the carp make up 95 percent of the biomass and they are considered poor for eating or as a game fish. Silver carp, which leap into the air when disturbed by passing motorboats, have injured boaters.
Two electrical barriers in the canal were erected in 2002 and 2006 to shock any fish, particularly carp, that try to swim up the canal to Lake Michigan. The newer barrier is being switched off to perform maintenance on it.
To give themselves a window to complete the task and keep any carp at bay below the barrier, authorities dumped into the canal more than 2,000 pounds (900 kg) of the natural poison rotenone that prevents fish gills from absorbing oxygen.
The toxin, which is used as a broad-spectrum insecticide and pesticide, kills fish and freshwater snails but does not harm other animals. It dissipates within two days, though authorities planned to introduce a neutralizing agent to speed up the process.
Video: Fears mount over carp and Great Lakes
Video: Asian Carp Lake Invasions
Video: Granholm to Cox: stop the Asian carp
Video: Biologist Dr. Dan O’Keefe, a Michigan Sea Grant SW District Extention Educator, says it’s inevitable that Asian carp will breach electrical barrier and eventually reach Lake Michigan
Video: Wild Jumping Carp On Illinois River
UPDATE 1 (4 Dec. 09): Video: Bighead Asian carp found in Chicago
On the net:
- Asian Carp Management
- Asian Carp and the Great Lakes
- Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Aquatic Nuisance Species Dispersal Barriers
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