TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Members of Congress say they’ll seek $20 million to study using poisons to prevent Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes.
Securing the money was among several steps agreed on by lawmakers from the Great Lakes region during a meeting Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, who hosted the session, said the bipartisan group did not resolve a disagreement over whether to close shipping locks and gates at Chicago that could give the carp a pathway to Lake Michigan.
Several states are suing to close the locks, which Illinois officials and the Obama administration oppose.
But Durbin says the lawmakers endorsed other measures, including working with the Army Corps of Engineers to strengthen an electronic barrier on Chicago-area waterways.
Gluttonous Asian carp in the Great Lakes could starve out other species.
Wed Dec 2, 2009 01:25 PM ET | content provided by Caryn Rousseau, Associated Press Environmental authorities plan on using a special toxin to drive this invasive species out of the Great Lakes. AP Photo
Illinois environmental officials will dump a toxic chemical into a nearly 6-mile stretch of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Wednesday to keep the voracious Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes while an electrical barrier is turned off for maintenance.
The fish, which can grow to 4 feet long and 100 pounds and are known to leap from the water at the sound of passing motors, have been found within a few miles of Lake Michigan and there is evidence they might have breached the barrier, designed to repel them with a non-lethal jolt.
Environmentalists fear the fish, which consume up to 40 percent of their body weight daily in plankton, would starve out smaller and less aggressive competitors and possibly lead to the collapse of the Great Lakes sport and commercial fishing industry.
The fish toxin rotenone will be spread Wednesday evening near Lockport, Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Stacey Solano said. After about eight hours, crews will use large cranes with nets to scoop up an estimated 200,000 pounds of dead fish, she said.
The carcasses will be disposed of in a landfill, Solano said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to perform the maintenance on the barrier.
"We just want to make sure that there is no possible way that Asian carp can breach the barrier while it's down for maintenance," Solano said. "That's the main objective of this operation."
Environmental groups say they support the operation but are urging federal officials to close three locks in the Chicago area that lead to Lake Michigan until they can determine a permanent solution.
i have an idea give them to omega they need oily fish and the carp are just that and there is lots of them so why look to get money from us when tere are so many fish that they want to get rid of so go after those fish
congress seeks money to fight asian carp
Environmental authorities plan on using a special toxin to drive this invasive species out of the Great Lakes.
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