Invasive Species

Asian Carp: Friend, Foe or Delicacy of the Great Lakes?

glbm — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 17:17:02 +0000

of the Great LaIn response to the cries about the Asian carp threatening to invade the Great Lakes, Congress has asked the Chicago District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prepare a feasibility study to investigate the potential environmental, economic and social effects of the measures being considered to modify the electric barriers, which are the only present-day batt lefields against the carp.

These adjustments would improve the efficacy and the evaluation of other fi sh deterrents and additional barriers in the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS).

The CAWS covers Lake Michigan, the Chicago River, the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal the Calumet rivers, the Calumet Harbor and the Calumet-Sag Channel.

Bait and Catch

glbm — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 17:07:35 +0000

One Asian carp was found earlier this year past the electric barriers in the Chicago area. Scientists examined the ﬁsh and found that it mostly lived in Lake Calumet, not Lake Michigan.

Elected ofﬁcials in many of the Great Lakes states would like to close the Chicago locks to prevent the Asian carp from spreading any further. How about examining the bait used in the area? If Asian carp minnows are being moved around in the Great Lakes region, they could be causing the carp to pass the barriers. This could easily be a way to help prevent Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes, without shutting down a key part of Chicago’s economy.

I hope that you will discuss this issue in the magazine.

Jim Schwaiger
Dolton, Ill.

Keep America Fishing

glbm — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 21:25:20 +0000

The past 10 years have seen a dramatic increase in actions to restrict or ban recreational ﬁshing in areas across the United States. California has designated hundreds of miles of the state’s salt water as no-take marine reserves, leaving more than 760,000 saltwater anglers without access to some of the best ﬁshing spots on the Paciﬁc Coast.

Will Asian Carp Interfere?

glbm — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:32:15 +0000

I am an avid reader of Great Lakes Boating Magazine and I love it. You guys are very current and thorough with the news that I need to hear about the Great Lakes. I read your magazine and keep it on my boat. I’m well-aware of all of the articles and editorials that you have done on the Asian carp and I’m very concerned about my boating experience. Having to navigate among these beasts, having learned about how aggressive they are, would my boating experience ever be the same?

Andy Roth
Dolton, Ill.

Potential Economic Downfall After Lock Closures

glbm — Tue, 04 May 2010 20:15:26 +0000

A DePaul University report recently defined the potential economic consequences of closing the Chicago River Controlling Works and O'Brien locks on the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). Joseph P. Schwieterman's analysis was performed due to concerns about the Asian carp's migration into the Great Lakes.

Chicago Locks Remain Open for Boating

glbm — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:46:23 +0000

On Jan. 27, government officials held a “carp summit” to discuss strategies for preventing Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan, co-hosted by politicians including Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL). These events follow the Obama administration’s announcement of support for the state of Illinois in the Asian carp batt le, and of its opposition to legal actions undertaken by other Great Lakes states. When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Michigan in a decision on Jan.

Joining Forces

glbm — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:39:26 +0000

The Asian carp conflict has existed for nearly two decades, ever since flooding allowed the species to escape into the Mississippi River from fish farms in the South in the 1990s.
One Asian carp has been found in a canal leading to the Great Lakes, and some DNA for the species has been discovered in the Great Lakes. However, multiple Asian carp must reach these bodies of water before they can establish a self-sustaining population. The battle may not yet be lost.

Consider the Boaters Before Closing the Locks

glbm — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:38:51 +0000

The local boating community remains committed to keeping Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. The 1.5 million boaters that navigate and sport fish in this area are aware of the horrific devastation that this invasive species could bring. Indeed, we would be the most adversely affected sector if it arrived in the Great Lakes.