Invasive carp found closer to Great Lakes

A poisoning of fish in a stretch of a Chicago canal has turned up one of the invasive carp that biologists fear will get into the Great Lakes.

Thursday, federal and state fish biologists started collecting dead fish in a six-mile stretch of the Chicago sanitary and ship canal. One of the electric barriers designed to keep Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes is down for routine maintenance, and scientists had dumped poison in the water to make sure the invasive carp wouldn’t get past a second barrier.

John Rogner of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources says most of the dead fish picked up yesterday were common carp, a native species. But Rogner says a Bighead Carp – a type of Asian Carp was located near the southern end of the poisoned section.

A couple weeks ago, researchers announced that carp DNA had been found upstream from the electric barriers, though the scientists say no actual Asian Carp have been found above the barriers. However, the Bighead picked up yesterday is the closest to the Great Lakes that an Asian Carp had been found. The scientists say they will now go upstream of the barrier and to nearby waterways to try to zero in on what carp may be there. Josh Mogerman of the Natural Resources Defense Council says that’s vital work.

The Illinois DNR says commercial anglers have been fishing for Asian Carp this week in an offshoot of the sanitary and ship canal known as the Calumet-Sag Channel.

Tags: invasive species, great lakes, news, dnr