Asian carp poses 'potential catastrophe'

[DainBramaged]

The Great Lakes face imminent threat from an invader that could cause its entire eco-system to collapse.

The Asian carp is poised to enter Lake Michigan and its reach could eventually stretch into the lower lakes and up the Thames River into London.

Scientists have just found DNA samples in a canal at Chicago that indicate an electric barrier intended to keep the voracious fish within the Mississippi River system and out of Lake Michigan has failed.

"It is a peril, a potential catastrophe," a spokesperson for Ontario's commercial fishery said yesterday.

"It may reconfigure the eco-system," Peter Meisenheimer, executive director of the Ontario Commercial Fisheries Association, predicted yesterday.

"Thousands of jobs could be lost," he said.

Environment Minister Donna Cansfield said the Ontario government is quite concerned and is monitoring developments closely.

"The risk is high," she conceded, but held out hope a plan to poison part of the canal where the carp have been found might help.

But if it fails, the invader will enter Lake Michigan and inevitably reach Ontario, she said.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Science/2009/11/25/11917781-sun.html



http://www.biology.duke.edu/bio217/2005/ncy/asian%20carp.html

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Scary Scary Scary!!!

[Crunchy Frog]

2. How do you get from Lake Michigan to the Thames?

Do the fish have teleporters?

[DainBramaged]

3. Swim?

:shrug: :hi:

[obliviously]

4. Oh my gosh they found water on the moon.

They could infest that too!

[marmar]

5. The St. Lawrence Seaway is a marvelous thing.

[Jackpine Radical]

6. Especially if you like exotic wildlife

like lampreys and zebra mussels.

[Tesha]

10. Wrong London, wrong Thames. Think Ontario, Canada.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=London,+ON&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=39.320439,67.939453&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=London,+Middlesex+County,+Ontario,+Canada&ll=42.983397,-81.255655&spn=0.017769,0.033174&t=h&z=15

[Davis_X_Machina]

12. I thought they might be anadromous carp...

...and run up the Thames (pronounced as spelled in CT) river in New London.

[Odin2005]

7. Giant goldfish?

:scared:

[AllentownJake]

8. Can we teach Camels to fish for Asian Carp

because if we could, I think we might be able to partner with Australia on this problem.

[alfredo]

11. Teach Starlings to attack them.

[madrchsod]

9. yup another evasive fish...

we have to many evasive species now let alone let the fucking crap in the lakes.