Carping about carp, Michigan style. . . .

[Bird of Prey]

Mich. files suit in US high court over Asian carp

By JOHN FLESHER (AP) – 1 hour ago
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. AP) — Michigan asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to sever a century-old connection between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system to prevent Asian carp from invading the lakes and endangering their $7 billion fishery.
State Attorney General Mike Cox filed a lawsuit with the nation's highest court against Illinois, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. They operate canals and other waterways that open into Lake Michigan.
Bighead and silver carp from Asia have been detected in those waterways after migrating north in the Mississippi and Illinois rivers for decades.
Officials poisoned a section of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal this month to prevent the carp from getting closer to Lake Michigan while an electrical barrier was taken down for maintenance. . . . http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gPBBiKJKfp1MbkPXxJCnNjnZCCrQD9CNUR082

I think it's a good plan and the best way to fix the problem. . . .

[Dommo]

It's about damn time. The chicago canal should have been closed years ago, and not just for this reason, but because it's adversely affected the lake levels by draining A LOT of water from the great lakes water basin. About the only industry that's still doing OK in michigan is the tourism industry, and when the lake levels were down so much that it made it hard to launch boats, a lot of people lost their jobs.

[Bird of Prey]

It's about damn time. The chicago canal should have been closed years ago, and not just for this reason, but because it's adversely affected the lake levels by draining A LOT of water from the great lakes water basin. About the only industry that's still doing OK in michigan is the tourism industry, and when the lake levels were down so much that it made it hard to launch boats, a lot of people lost their jobs.

Well, regardless of the economic impact, I'd like to see all The Lakes full and pristine. I'm for this plan. Good points, Dommo and good post. . . .

[Gregg]

These Carp could destroy the Great Lakes. They are huge, eat everything in sight, and fly thru the air when disturbed by boats- very dangerous for boaters.
The Feds just poisoned a 6 mile stretch so they could do some maintenance on the electric "gates" protecting Lake Michigan. They found at least one carp where it wasn't supposed to be.

They gotta do whatever it takes to get rid of them.

[Dommo]

There's going to be some interstate bloodshed, but it looks like Wisconsin, and Canada are starting to line up behind michigan. I think we're going to see a serious dog pile here. I don't think anyone has a problem with the chicago river being used as run off for the chicago sewer system, but the locks have to shut down. It's to risky to allow the carp into the lakes, especially given what they've done to parts of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, where 9 out of every 10 pounds of organic matter in the rivers is carp.

It's going to suck seeing a few thousand people lose their jobs in the transport industry down in chi-town, but it'll be a lot worse if we see a million jobs vanish because the great lakes fishery goes to hell.

[Bird of Prey]

Agreed. I think it's going to escalate into a major national issue because it's a major change in the way business is done.
And btw, the next issue is going to be how to prevent something like that from happening to begin with. . .

[Gregg]

Good luck with that!
I've been battling Garlic Mustard (native to Europe) for about ten years. I have it under control but can't let down my guard. Nasty little plants.

And in the last few years the Emerald Ash Borer (from Asia) has killed millions of Ash trees in the Midwest - control methods have largely failed so far.

[Bird of Prey]

Good luck with that!
I've been battling Garlic Mustard (native to Europe) for about ten years. I have it under control but can't let down my guard. Nasty little plants.

And in the last few years the Emerald Ash Borer (from Asia) has killed millions of Ash trees in the Midwest - control methods have largely failed so far.

Very aware of the Ash problem. Here - in Florida - the problems ranges from invading Monitor lizards to Burmese pythons, with all kinds of invasive plants and insects. It's a tough issue regarding eradication, and certainly not easy. Where I used to live, Canadian thistle was a big problem. . . .

[Gregg]

And some nurseries still sell invasive plants. Many people think they are great plants for landscaping and don't realize they can escape into our native forests. The primary culprits in the north are Honeysuckle and Buckthorn. But Barberry and Euonymus (Burning Bush) can spread too.

[Bird of Prey]

And some nurseries still sell invasive plants. Many people think they are great plants for landscaping and don't realize they can escape into our native forests. The primary culprits in the north are Honeysuckle and Buckthorn. But Barberry and Euonymus (Burning Bush) can spread too.

Where I used to live - Colorado - the state was pretty diligent. We'd get lists of stuff that was no longer acceptable. Euonymus of course didn't do that well in that climate so it didn't pose a threat, neither by the way did Barberry. The growing season was so short and it was so dry, you'd be lucky if the stuff managed to hang on until the next year. But we did have problems with a kind of Willow, and boy it was a pretty tree, but it did a little too well. . . .

Oh, and then there was Russian Olive: really pretty but a problem. I used to see it taking over these small natural drain ditches, crowding out Cottonwoods. . . .