Well it was only a matter of time...

[timmeh]

Asian Carp May Have Breached Electronic Barrier

 

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) -- Asian carp may have breached an electronic barrier designed to prevent the giant invaders from upsetting the ecosystem in the Great Lakes and jeopardizing a $7 billion sport fishery, officials said Friday.

 

Scientists recently collected 32 DNA samples of Asian carp between the barrier and Lake Michigan in waterways south of Chicago, although the fish have yet to be spotted in the area, said Maj. Gen. John Peabody of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

 

If the feared bighead and silver carp have got through the $9 million barrier, the only remaining obstacle between the carp and Lake Michigan is a navigational lock on the Calumet River. Some DNA was found as close as 1 mile south of the lock and 8 miles south of the lake.

 

Still, federal officials insisted a Great Lakes invasion was not inevitable.

 

''We're going to keep throwing everything we possibly can at them to keep them out,'' said Cameron Davis, senior Great Lakes adviser to Lisa Jackson, head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

 

Asian carp escaped from Southern fish farms into the Mississippi River during 1990s flooding and have been migrating northward since.

 

The monstrous creatures can exceed 4 feet long and 100 pounds. They consume up to 40 percent of their body weight daily in plankton, starving out smaller and less aggressive competitors.

 

Aside from decimating species prized by anglers and commercial fishers, Asian carp are known to leap from the water at the sound of passing motors and sometimes collide with boaters.

 

It is not known how the carp would fare in the chilly Great Lakes, which are different ecosystems than rivers, Davis said.

 

A worst-case scenario envisions them spreading ''like a cancer cell,'' he said, eventually dominating a fishery already damaged by zebra mussels, sea lamprey and other exotic pests.

 

In 2002, the Army Corps placed an electronic device on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a man-made waterway south of the city that forms part of a linkage between the Mississippi and Lake Michigan.

 

A second, more powerful device went online this year. Both emit electrical pulses designed to repel the carp or give them a non-lethal jolt.

 

David Lodge, a University of Notre Dame invasive species expert, confirmed the presence of DNA of bighead and silver carp in the Cal-Sag Channel, between the canal to the Calumet River and in the river itself, which flows into Lake Michigan.

 

Further testing will be done in the area, said Col. Vincent Quarles, the Army Corps' Chicago district commander.

 

The newer electronic device is scheduled to be deactivated for maintenance in early December. Officials plan then to treat a 6-mile section of the canal with a fish toxin called rotenone to prevent Asian carp from advancing.

 

Environmental groups called for tougher action, including closure of all Illinois gateways and locks leading to Lake Michigan. That would draw opposition from barge companies that haul cargo on the canal.

 

''If we don't close the locks, we are waving the white flag and allowing one of the greatest ecological tragedies to occur,'' said Jennifer Nalbone of Great Lakes United.

 

Even if the carp reach the lake, it might be possible to limit their spread with methods such as sterilization.

 

''We should not assume that all is lost,'' Lodge said.

 

 

 

http://www.times.com/aponline/2009/11/20/s...Asian-Carp.html

[BillM]

Man, they need to nuke that entire canal...

[Kinger]

hard seal it!

[basketclam]

Man, they need to nuke that entire canal...

 

 

Sacrifice a man-made watercourse for the sake of the great lakes? I'm game.

 

That'll solve the immediate problem. We still need much stronger legislation and enforcement if we're to have any chance against invading species as time goes on. But that would require policitcal will ... I'll leave it at that.

[Guest gbfisher]

Im not sure about how the Electronic Barrier is set up but I'd hope there were nets above it to catch those nasty jumping giants. Then there's the ...let a carp go.....

Edited November 30, 2009 by gbfisher

[cram]

wouldn't it be great if whoever manages that canal (the gov't, i assume) could be held liable for damages if the carp do get through? The lawsuit would be huge. That liability might ensure they manage it a little more diligently.

[blaque]

liability.........manage......diligent......and government?

Edited November 30, 2009 by Blaque

[fishing n autograph]

Open season bow, rifle and shotgun hunt for carp....then get the natives spear hunting them! Population control lol

[BillM]

Is there anything in that canal that's of any value? Right now it's like shooting fish in a barrel, they should take advantage of the situation now and kill everything in there..

[irishfield]

They're already in the Great Lakes.. many have reported seeing them.. even OFC members here.. but nobody has listened. You know damn well if it's now being "officially" reported.. they've been there for sometime before hand... just like the Gobbies in Simcoe !

Edited November 30, 2009 by irishfield

[Terry]

I can take sheephead but those fish need to go

[bubbles]

They're already in the Great Lakes.. many have reported seeing them.. even OFC members here.. but nobody has listened. You know damn well if it's now being "officially" reported.. they've been there for sometime before hand... just like the Gobbies in Simcoe !

 

I agree 100%, they have been in there for some time I am sure.

[timmeh]

They're already in the Great Lakes.. many have reported seeing them.. even OFC members here.. but nobody has listened. You know damn well if it's now being "officially" reported.. they've been there for sometime before hand... just like the Gobbies in Simcoe !

 

This was my immediate reaction as well. I've always believed if they were able to make it across the ocean they'd make it the last few miles into the lakes. But I've always held out hope that maybe we could do something to stop it.

 

I guess now we can hope that they will not cause as big a problem as most people fear. Initially it was assumed that gobies would destroy the native fisheries and things haven't turned out as bad as they could have. So maybe things will not be as bad as some predict......? Maybe they will not do so well in cold water? Guess time will tell.

[fishing n autograph]

Looks like the white bucket brigade is gonna need a bigger bucket!!!!

[redneck666]

i'll say that i hope that in their process of finding a way to keep them things outta the lakes they dont release any toxins that will affect the other species in the ecosystems....

Edited December 1, 2009 by bigredneck

[Paully]

I've always believed if they were able to make it across the ocean they'd make it the last few miles into the lakes.

 

 

Are you serious ... i dont think they swam across the ocean...

[fishinguypat]

too bad their aim't freshwater piranha

[timmeh]

Are you serious ... i dont think they swam across the ocean...

 

Whoops my bad, i guess i was thinking about something else I meant to say if they've swam the Mississippi (not the ocean) they'll conquer the last few miles. Obviously they did not swim across the ocean. We were smart enough to bring them here.

Edited December 1, 2009 by timmeh

[snag]

No worries.

 

GCD has organized sum inlaws to come up with swamp boats and bows/arrows to rid us of this menance.

 

You are welcome to stay at my place Glen, sorry dude............ Glenda