Chicago Slaughter

[Durand Dan]

They are going after the Asian Carp!!

http://www.freep.com/article/200912020300/NEWS05/912020302

[mikesmiph]

she said. If only a few carp make it into Lake Michigan, it could take years for them to become a problem.

This is what scares me most. Attitudes like this. Who cares about the future, as long as it doesnt bother us? WE dont want any carp in the Great Lakes. WE dont want there to be a problem in the future. WE want our children and grandchildren to be able to enjoy the Great Lakes. These politicians have GOT to get their collective heads on straight.

[djkimmel]

Don't know how many people saw this earlier article: http://www.freep.com/article/20090816/SPORTS10/908160448/Carpe-diem-for-carp

[bob o]

yep, saw it earilier today in the paper. it's about time they did that. i'm just wondering where they intend to put the dead fish, ton and tons of dead crap man that is going to stink for a while.

[Durand Dan]

Sushi and fishballs

[dartag]

just saw a report about it on Fox news Detroit.  hope this is not another Zebra Mussel invasion.  my lake if full of them.   

[t-bone]

Hmmm... looks like the carp are hiding or aren't as far north as people thought:

http://www.freep.com/article/20091204/NEWS06/912040373/1202/rss

LOCKPORT, Ill. -- As cleanup and Asian carp-searching efforts continued after a massive poisoning in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal on Thursday, officials said they had found a lone Asian carp among the 200,000 pounds of dead fish.

[bob o]

maybe they go south for the winter  . do i understand this correctly that they treated the canal/lake side of the electrified dam? if so why didn't they look to the other side of the dam (where all the carp are) to kill/net the carp?
i see pictures and read articals of carp jumping all over the place, people having a great time in the carp tournament using bats, nets and whatever else to bring the fish in. why not set up some gill nets and dredge the portion of the river that has the fish in it?

just my .02 sence

[Skulley]

The article posted today and in today's paper doesn't seem to be consistent with yesterday's article.  Yesterday's article said that electrofishing was to go on through the weekend and the canal poisoned Monday or Tuesday next week.  I think we are looking at pictures in today's paper of the guys netting electroshocked fish.  I believe that it has not been poisoned yet.  How about some of our Illinois members go down there to where this is happening and see what is really ging on because I am not inclined to believe Detroit Free Press newspaper hype.  That is my 2 cents.  If I lived close by and read this, I would go see for myself.  So since I don't one of those guys could cruise over to that area an check it out.  Talk to the people that are really doing it and don't make up a story to sell a newspaper.  I guess I am up to 5 cents now.   

BD                ;De       

[Durand Dan]

This is a posting from the DNR site in Il.

http://www.asiancarp.org/rapidresponse/

[Skulley]

Thanks for the info Dan.  Let's hope someone from this board will be going and hopefully they can report back to us through this board as to what is really going on.  I would like to know.  And it seems many others would like to know the real story.


BD         

[MIBassKid]

Just finished a term paper last week on invasive species and I picked the Asian Carp for my topic.  They were doing the electrofishing on that weekend to displace the game fish.  They had not found any Asian Carp that far north after electrofishing.  Doesn't mean that they aren't there yet though.  DNA has been found on the lake side of the electric barrier and some fisherman have reported seeing a few above the barrier, but the DNR had no comment on that because they had not confirmed anything with sightings of their own. 

Bob o- They were putting all of the fish in a dump somewhere, can't exactly remember the name of the town...Romeoville, IL. I believe. 

Looks like if the problem is not resolved soon the state of Michigan is going to take legal action to try and close off the shipping canal all together. Not going to make very many companies happy but it is one of the largest natural resources we have in the United States and is very valuable especially as the amount of fresh water is dwindling out West. Can't remember the name of their major aquifer.

Not an expert but I can answer some questions if you have them.
-Luke

[t-bone]

Luke - I was curious how they determine the presence of the fish based on DNA. How to they get the DNA? Is it just in the water?

[bassmandan]

probably testing the water for fecal matter im not sure if you would be able to test for other things. that would be my guess, theres a few water tests including that one that would determine whats going on in the water.

[MIBassKid]

Terry I had heard what bassmandan said with the fecal matter.  They tested at a small lock/dam upriver from the electric barrier.

[djkimmel]

The day will come when our fresh water becomes probably the most valuable resource we have... if we don't screw it all up first.

Previous attempts have been made by southwest states in the past to declare the Great Lakes national water... so they can get 'their' share. They have a bunch of golf courses to keep watered. Do you have any idea how much water it takes to keep a bunch of golf courses green in the desert?

[MIBassKid]

Dan you're absolutely right, and with us sitting on a big puddle will help the economy if nothing else does.  They are predicting that the Ogallala aquifer, that covers a huge portion of the great plains, will be completely depleted in 20 years! That's crazy right there, seeing how this aquifer supplies the surrounding area with hundreds and hundreds, possibly oven billions of gallons of water every year. This means that this portion of the country will have to find a whole bunch of water, especially since they are in the heartland and supply the country with most of our crops...no good.  Sorry to high-jack this thread.
-Luke

[djkimmel]

I consider this a broad, but connected topic. I hope most everyone agrees. Because the Great Lakes are such an awesome resource, I started this web site based on that idea. Anything we can do to stop another exotic, especially several carp species that could have an ever greater impact than the original carp mistake, is worth doing. I know I don't want to risk the Great thing we have going...

Keeping our water from mass diversion falls right in line with protecting an amazing resource that is not limitless in its ability to keep itself healthy.

Since we do not know the true limits of the Great Lakes ability to stay healthy, I personally prefer to err on the side of strict caution and minimal impact.

I hope Durand Dan won't mind that the subject has broadened. If he does, I apologize.

[TCook]

I read some disturbing news today that the asian carp have made it into lake Michigan. This has been reported on the radio and I am sure more details will be out in the next few days. We all knew this day was coming just not this soon. If this is true the great lakes will be going through some major negative changes in the next decade. Just imagine what St Clair and Erie's western basin would be like in 10 years if these carp became the dominant specie. I read that in the great lakes st clair and erie's western basin would be effected the most due to ideal habitat. They acted to late and now it seems like there is nothing we can do to stop it now.  

[Durand Dan]

I consider this a broad, but connected topic. I hope most everyone agrees. Because the Great Lakes are such an awesome resource, I started this web site based on that idea. Anything we can do to stop another exotic, especially several carp species that could have an ever greater impact than the original carp mistake, is worth doing. I know I don't want to risk the Great thing we have going...

Keeping our water from mass diversion falls right in line with protecting an amazing resource that is not limitless in its ability to keep itself healthy.

Since we do not know the true limits of the Great Lakes ability to stay healthy, I personally prefer to err on the side of strict caution and minimal impact.

I hope Durand Dan won't mind that the subject has broadened. If he does, I apologize.

I honored to have you contribute to a topic I started