Asian carp may have breached Great Lakes barrier

Detroit News, 11/23/2009

Federal officials say DNA evidence shows the aggressive Asian carp may have
breached the electronic barrier designed to prevent it from invading the
Great Lakes

Officials with the Army Corps of Engineers said today that DNA of the giant
carp has been found north of the barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship
Canal. The Cal-Sag channel leads to Lake Michigan. Environmentalists fear
the carp could wreak havoc on the region's $4.5 billion fishing industry.

"This means we have to take aggressive action now because an invasion is
imminent," said Jennifer Nalbone, director of Navigation and Invasive
Species at Great Lakes United. "This is not the time for deliberation. This
is the time for action."

Asian carp escaped from Southern fish farms in the 1990s and have been
migrating up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. They grow to more than 4
feet long and weigh up to 100 pounds. The powerful carp are known to knock
boaters from their boats.

The non-native species has already adversely affected the environment and
economy of the Mississippi River and threatens to do the same in the Great
Lakes. The carp -- specifically the bighead and silver carp -- are voracious
filter feeders and can muscle out native fish, quickly dominating a body of
water

The DNA tests developed by researchers at the University of Notre Dame are
relatively new. The tests analyze the water and identify traces of the fish.

It's the first time the carp has been detected in that specific area, but in
September, the Army Corps of Engineers, in conjunction with the University
of Notre Dame, found evidence of the carp about a mile south.

If correct, that would mean the carp might reach Lake Michigan if they get
through a navigational lock. From there, they could spread throughout the
Great Lakes and out-compete native species for food.

Great Lakes water keeper organizations call for enacting a state of
emergency, which would allow federal agencies to perform emergency measures
to prevent the invasion of the carp.

In 2002, the $9 million electric barrier was installed in the Chicago
Sanitary and Ship Canal. At the time, the fish were detected about 25 miles
away from Lake Michigan.

The Associated Press contributed to this report