Great Lakes Region

Asian Carp Pose Threat to Great Lakes, Inland Waterways in Michigan

It sounds like something from a horror movie. One hundred pounds of invasive fish are disturbed by boat motors, making them jump up to five feet above water, sometimes hitting people. But it's the new reality in the Mississippi River and the Des Plaines River in Illinois. Federal politicians and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) attempt to keep the Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes and inland waters in Michigan.

Public awareness of Asian carp is increasing thanks to media reports.On a fishing trip on the Shiawassee River in Fenton last, Kaleb Taylor, 9, of Fenton, described seeing the fish on TV. "They attacked people and knocking people out of their boat," he said. "I watched the news."

Her sister, Haley Taylor, 7, and father, Chad Taylor, were fishing with Kaleb. Chad Taylor had not heard much about the Asian carp, but "they look pretty nasty," he said.

In the 1970s, the fish were imported in the southern United States to eat algae in ponds. However, due to flooding, Asian carp escaped from these ponds and began to migrate.Since their flight, they have become established in the Mississippi River system and the Chicago River.

"We take it as a very serious threat to the Great Lakes," said Mary Dettloff, a spokeswoman for the Michigan DNR.

It could also affect the river system of Michigan.

Dettloff said DNA tests of the water of Lake Michigan is in progress. The tests found DNA from the environment of the species, or Edna, in water, but that does not mean Asian carp have reached Lake Michigan. Edna could have been the bilge water, for example, and not fish alive, she said.

Michigan wants a complete separation of the Mississippi River basin, from the Great Lakes, Dettloff said. This is a position that the federal government has not supported.

In 2009, the Michigan DNR provided staff and rotenone, a natural substance toxic to most fish species, to help kill the Asian carp in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Dettloff said. The effort was part of the response plan in Michigan to keep Asian carp in the Great Lakes.

"Meanwhile, the Office of the Attorney General of Michigan has studied the potential legal proceedings to close the locks of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to prevent further migration of fish," says DNR site.

"I think they should do whatever is necessary to keep the carp in the Great Lakes," said Senator John Gleason of Michigan (D-Flushing). "We have, literally, a fishing industry billions of dollars in our state. " Michigan has many tourists, and marinas are filled during the summer.

Bracing for climate change in Great Lakes region | Great Lakes Echo

In Illinois can start to feel like Texas.

And as the Great Lakes region becomes warmer and wetter because of climate change, we must prepare for a wider variety of pests and weeds, and more nutrients in the lakes run, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a watchdog based on science.

Representatives of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources take action to mitigate these effects now.

The agency is meeting Wednesday with climate change experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, local health services and sewer districts to discuss how the state can prepare communities and leaders of the imminent challenges climate change.

The workshop includes government officials, managers, stormwater managers, watershed managers and public health planners, said Heather Elmer, Program Coordinator of the Ohio Coastal Training.

The effort is funded by the Great Lakes of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Initiative restorative.

"This is our chance to inform our decision on the state of the science on climate change so they can make decisions based on real scientific progress," she said.

Similar workshops will be held in Minnesota and Wisconsin in September.

They have already taken place in the coastal regions of the United States, said Patrick Robinson, a specialist concession with the University of Wisconsin Extension Program.

Scientists like Gwen Shaughnessy, a specialist in climate adaptation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Services Center, said she sees no use to "reinvent the wheel" when there is already information collected from program Coastal.

"Although we use our experience as a model for these workshops, we realize that we need to change and adapt to the needs of each region," she said.

But each region will focus on slightly different questions.

Ohio officials plan to discuss how local and federal regulations may affect local strategies needed to counter the anticipated effects of climate change, said Heather Stirrat, coordinator of the NOAA Great Lakes.

"We will look into the regulations must be amended to pave the way for changes that must be taken to the future of violent storms, sewage overflows and overloads of nutrients," she said.

Wisconsin leaders feel no reason to talk about regulations.

"Those who are involved in regulating feel Wisconsin are too complex and convoluted to get into," said Robinson."They just want to help communities understand climate change and climate change strategies may look to increase the acceptance and involvement of local people.

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