Back to News Room More on Invasive Species Invasive Asian Carp
Caught Near Lake Michigan The nightmare scenario of Asian carp
entering the Great Lakes through Chicago waterways is closer to
reality as the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee
announced Wednesday the capture of an invasive bighead carp in
Lake Calumet, six miles away from Lake Michigan. The fish’s
capture bolsters repeated environmental DNA tests which have
shown that the carp have evaded an electrical barrier intended
to prevent their movement out of canals artificially connecting
the Great Lakes and Mississippi River system. Scientists and
government regulators agree that the invasive fish pose a dire
threat to the Lakes because of their size and voracious
appetites. Environmental groups throughout the Great Lakes have
been advocating for quick action to impede the carp’s headlong
swim towards Lake Michigan, even as federal officials and
business interests have questioned the validity of cutting edge
science that pointed to the invasive