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Background In the late 1970’s fish farmers brought Asian Carp to the United States in an effort to eat algae and clean up catfish ponds and wastewater facilities. Because of several floods in the Mississippi River during the 1990’s the Asian Carp swept up over dams and locks and entered the Illinois river, eventually arriving in Chicago.
Efforts In 2002, in an effort to keep the Asian Carp from entering Lake Michigan, the Army Corps of Engineers built a $9 million electric barrier fence about 25 miles from Lake Michigan. The fence is in need of repair. During repair, the voltage is turned off and that could result in the Asian Carp escaping into Lake Michigan.
What are Asian Carp? Asian Carp are a large fish that can eat up to 40% of its weight in one day. They can grow up to 5 feet in length and weigh up to 110 pounds.
What’s the problem? 1. The problem is the Asian Carp feed on plankton and other small fish that native species of the Great Lakes need to survive. If this happens, it would be detrimental to the ecosystem of the Great Lakes and will threaten Michigan’s $7 billion fishing industry.
More Problems 2. When the Asian carp hear boat motors it disturbs them enough to jump out of the water and potentially injure boaters and fisherman. Asian Carp have caused numerous injuries on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers including broken arms and serious head injuries. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb8OmEr7VqI
More Problems If the invader fish enter the Great Lakes, it would only be a matter of time before they enter Canadian waters. If this happens, Canada could file a lawsuit against the United States.
Possible Solutions The Government could close down the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal locks. By doing this, it could create an entire new set of problems including the potential flooding of Chicago and extreme economical problems.
Possible Solutions If the Asian Carp get to Lake Michigan there is one theory that they might starve because the zebra mussels have already eaten most of the plankton.
Possible Solutions Another possible solution would be to put a bounty on the Asian Carp. This would mean paying people to catch them.
Possible Solutions If you can’t beat them, eat them. Asian Carp are actually a delicacy in Asia.
Work Cited http://news.google.com www.cookitsimply.com www.dailycomet.com/article/20100106/APN/100160855 www.fishingworks.com www.freep.com/article/20100103/COL32/1030469/1322/Asian-carp-retreat?-2010 www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-asian-carp22-2009dec22,0,7502213.story www.onearth.org/article/missliewithfins www.suntimes-com/news/metro/1967815,indiana-asian-carp-lawsuit