The 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Adventures

Monday, May 31, 2010

Asian Carp Containment Measures Working?


There was another big fish kill in the Little Calumet River on the south side of Chicago this past week. Floating fish were collected and this time even the dead fish that sank to the bottom were retrieved by divers.

Results?

NO Asian carp found in the 10,000 pounds of dead fish in the treated 2-mile stretch. This is good news, but continued monitoring and containment measures need to be in place.

A third electric barrier is under construction and will add to the gauntlet these invasive fish must run to reach the lake. Will it be enough? Time will tell.



Meanwhile, the invasive round goby (photo below) has displaced the perch in Lake Michigan in the last ten years. During my Lake Trek, I spoke with anyone casting a line into the water. Everywhere I went, the story was the same: the perch were going or gone because of the gobies.

There is still a demand for perch, though, so one innovative company is raising the fish in massive tanks in an old warehouse in Milwaukee.

It's kind of sad when the lake is no longer safe for fish.

Let's make sure the Asian carp never get into Lake Michigan.

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