Fight continues against Asian carp
MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – The fight to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes now stretches from Muskegon to Washington D.C.
One of President Barack Obama's top science advisors has sat down with Governor Granholm and other lawmakers, and now they're pledging to pitch in.
On Michigan, it was announced that the federal government will offer $78 million to keep the fish out of Lake Michigan. Many say that the carp could destroy the Great Lake's seven billion dollar fishing industry if they gain access to the lakes.
Michigan's Attorney General, Mike Cox, appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn a decision to not shut shipping locks near Chicago, and on Monday, the Obama administration appeared to bend a little on the issue, saying they'll open the locks less frequently.
So what exactly would happen if the carp make it into Lake Michigan, and then into Michigan's rivers? The answer, is that it depends.
“If you're counting on the Asian carp to get to the St. Joe, which would be the first ground river mouth watershed that would be available to them, if they worked their way up, I'm not sure they could ever get there quite honestly,” said Dr. Alan Steinman, Director Annis Water Resources Institute.
Dr. Steinman knows the Asian carp need a lot of plankton to eat and live, and he knows the open water of Lake Michigan doesn't have a lot of plankton, so if the carp were swimming their way here, it would take time.
The real question is whether they're introduced by accident into a place like Muskegon Lake by a lone fisherman or boat.
“At that point it could be days, weeks, if it's the right season and somebody is moving from one system to another takes it into their ballast water,” said Dr. Steinman.
If Asian carp eggs or larvae hitched a ride across Lake Michigan they could multiply fast, but if they migrate, they'll probably have to hug the shoreline to find food. Dr. Steinman says even if the carp made it to a river, there will be a delay before they appear in any numbers.
“It would be a year or two before they got a really noticeable breeding population,” said Dr. Steinman.
Dr. Steinman says more research is needed on the carp before it can be said that Michigan's waterways would make a good home, however, even though the carp face obstacles, Dr. Steiman is concerned about them arriving.
“They certainly have the potential in these river-ing systems, the St. Joe, the Grand, the Muskegon, and Kalamazoo. If they did get established, they could be extreme nuisances,” said Dr. Steinman.
