According to the information the 6-week-old project involving commercial fishing nets and electro-shocking tools at Chicago canal system has failed to land any of the fish biologists fear are knocking on the door of Lake Michigan. Federal officials informed that in November, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers acknowledged that “environmental” DNA samples taken in the waters above an electric fish barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal showed the fish had bypassed the last line of defense in the fight to keep the super-sized carp from colonizing Lake Michigan.
After having such information the federal authorities have shut two navigation locks as a stop-gap measure to keep the carp from swimming into Lake Michigan. Twice in recent weeks the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a request from a Michigan-led coalition of Great Lakes states to close the locks. The Obama administration has opposed closure citing the disruption it would cause barge and tour boat operators and the potential for floods if the locks were to remain closed during heavy rains.
Federal officials intend to continue on with what it terms the fish “sampling/monitor” project in the coming months. John Rogner, assistant director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said that they have a better understanding of where Asian carp are in the Chicago Area Waterway System and a better idea of population size so we can better assess the risks to the Great Lakes.
