Saturday, January 23, 2010

The Threat of Asian Carp


                                                    Asian Carp
Have you been hearing about the problem which is about to invade the Great Lakes? That problem is the Asian Carp, once brought into America to clean up ponds in Mississippi and Arkansas in the 1970's. Following the Mississippi floods, the fish escaped from the ponds into rivers. The carp are very near the Great Lakes by now, via Illinois rivers. They would devastate the Great Lakes fisheries. There have been reports of the problem being so bad that the fish have jumped from the water, hit a boater and killed him. Once the fish gain entry into the Great Lakes, there will be no turning them back. This is what makes the recent current Supreme Court ruling so devastating. The fish can grow to 100 pounds and four feet long. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Michigan's plea to force Illinois to close navigational locks and dams in the Chicago area to prevent the carp from advancing into Lake Michigan. The court did not explain its decision, but the U.S. solicitor general had argued that Michigan should have sued the Corps of Engineers instead. Watch this Utube video to see the carp in action.... This decision may bring the region a step closer to a scenario in which the carp devastate the Great Lakes' fragile ecology and commercial fishing interests. It now rests with federal and state officials in Illinois to determine what is to be done. Governor Granholm has requested a White House conference and Congressman Pete Hoekstra has asked that it be held here in Michigan. You will be amazed by the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS7zkTnQVaM&feature=related

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