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Netting operation yields no Asian carp past electric barrier

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(WI) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Federal officials reported late Tuesday that a large-scale netting operation on a Chicago-area waterway above the electric fish barrier has yielded no Asian carp. Three weeks ago the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that water samples in the Cal-Sag channel about six miles south of Lake Michigan tested positive for Asian carp DNA. More

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Fish kill called necessary to save the Great Lakes

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(DC) The Washington Post – The poisoned fish began floating to the surface in the cold Illinois dawn, but as scientists and ecologists began hauling their lifeless catch to shore, they found only one carcass of the predator they targeted — the ravenous Asian carp. Never before have Illinois agencies tried to kill so many fish at one time. By the time the poison dissipates in a few days, state officials estimate that 200,000 pounds of fish will be bound for landfills. But they say the stakes — the Great Lakes ecosystem and its healthy fish population — could hardly be higher. More

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When It’s OK to Poison Fish

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(NY) New York Times – As the SuperFreakonomics chapter on global warming suggests, solutions that are initially viewed as repugnant sometimes gain acceptance over time. Consider, for example, that environmental groups have supported a “last-ditch effort” by Illinois environmental officials to dump a toxic chemical into a canal. The purpose? To target and kill the giant and destructive Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes and potentially bringing about the “collapse of the Great Lakes sport and commercial fishing industry.” More

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1 Asian carp turns up after fish kill

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(IL) Chicago Tribune – Dozens of boats combed the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal starting in the pre-dawn hours today, ultimately finding a lone Asian carp among tens of thousands of poisoned fish. After officials launched what’s believed to be the largest deliberate fish kill in state history Wednesday night, biologists sifted through the carnage at dump sites along the popular shipping canal near Romeoville. But by late this evening, they had identified just one 22-inch Asian carp, an invasive fish that officials say has the potential to devastate the region’s commercial fishing industry if  allowed to enter the Great Lakes. More

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Asian carp worries fishermen

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(IL) Chicago Tribune – The fishermen along the Illinois and Indiana shore don’t mind the cold when yellow perch flirt with a line like they did Monday. They don’t mind much of anything if the fish are biting. And that’s why they’re worried about the Asian carp. “We’d sure hate for some of those fish to get in Lake Michigan,” said Eddie Hudson, 60, fishing near where the Cal-Sag Channel meets Lake Michigan. “They would kill off practically everything.”