Carp Approaching Great Lakes While Barrier Is Stalled

Asian carp, fish that pose a serious threat both to the Great Lakes ecosystem and to the fishing industry, are approaching and may enter the Great Lakes unless the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers receives an additional $1.8 million to build a second electric barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The Corps hopes to receive funding from the federal government or contributions from the Great Lakes states, said Marc Gaden, communications officer with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.

Asian carp. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

The $8.5 million barrier, funded thus far by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the State of Illinois, will replace a temporary barrier that exists 800 feet upstream. The carp are approaching Lake Michigan from the Illinois River and are estimated to be 15 miles from the existing barrier. The carp are copious breeders capable of consuming enormous quantities of plankton, with no natural predators in the Great Lakes.

"Most people recognize that this is a federal responsibility," Gaden said. "Invasive species is a national problem, and the barrier project benefits the entire Great Lakes basin, not just the Chicago area."

If the additional funding is not received, the new barrier's design will be scaled back to half the electrical power of the original design. The barrier is expected to be completed by early fall.

— Lauren Murrow

See also:

Electric Barrier to Stop Asian Carp Approaching Great Lakes (CW, News of the Wild, Spring 2003)