Wild Wednesday: Asian Carp

Asian carp have been found in the Illinois River, which connects the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan. Due to their large size and rapid rate of reproduction, these fish could pose a significant risk to the Great Lakes Ecosystem.

To prevent the carp from entering the Great Lakes, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. EPA, the State of Illinois, the International Joint Commission, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working together to install and maintain a permanent electric barrier between the fish and Lake Michigan.

How did Asian carp get so close to the Great Lakes?

Two species of Asian carp -- the bighead and silver -- were imported by catfish farmers in the 1970's to remove algae and suspended matter out of their ponds. During large floods in the early 1990s, many of the catfish farm ponds overflowed their banks, and the Asian carp were released into local waterways in the Mississippi River basin.

The carp have steadily made their way northward up the Mississippi, becoming the most abundant species in some areas of the River.

The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, where the barrier is being constructed, connects the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes via the Illinois River.

What effects might Asian carp have on the Great Lakes?

Asian Carp are a significant threat to the Great Lakes because they are large, extremely prolific, and consume vast amounts of food. They can weigh up to 100 pounds, and can grow to a length of more than four feet. They are well-suited to the climate of the Great Lakes region, which is similar to their native Asian habitats.

Researchers expect that Asian carp would disrupt the food chain that supports the native fish of the Great Lakes. Due to their large size, ravenous appetites, and rapid rate of reproduction, these fish could pose a significant risk to the Great Lakes Ecosystem.

Are Asian carp already in the Great Lakes?

In June, a live Asian carp was caught by commercial fishermen in Lake Calumet near Chicago – past an electrical barrier designed to stop it. And earlier DNA sampling has found traces of the carp in the Chicago Area Waterway System, a tributary of the Great Lakes.

There is no evidence of a reproducing population of Asian carp anywhere in the Great Lakes. Yet…

What can we do?

In September 2010, Barack Obama appointed John Goss, a wildlife official in Indiana, to the office of U.S. Asian carp czar. We cannot wait any longer. We need to let Obama and Goss know we need a permanent solution that will protect our Great Lakes way of life.

Last Thursday Cleveland area residents demanded feds take urgent action to keep Asian carp from storming Lake Erie at a public meeting.

National Wildlife Federation and other groups called on the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to create a hydrologic barrier between Lake Michigan and the Chicago Waterway System to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. NWF also wants the Corps to complete the Chicago portion of the Great Lakes Mississippi River Interbasin Study(GLMRIS) study within 18 months (which has been orginially estimated to be completed by mid-2015 at the earliest - and a solution could take several more years after that.)

USACE is hosting twelve National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) public scoping meetings in the metropolitan areas. None are coming to Erie. But you can submit your comments online at any time through March 31, 2011.


We need to protect Lake Erie and all the Great Lakes.