As has been well documented in the last several weeks, the dreaded Asian Carp is making its way to Chicago and Lake Michigan. Some believe it is only 6 miles from Lake Michigan; down the Sanitary and Shipping Canal. Others say Asian Carp DNA has already been found beyond its electric barriers and that the voracious species is on its way to Lake Michigan and, once there, well beyond.
It’s a frightening thought. The Carp reproduce very rapidly, get so large (100+ lbs), are so well-suited to the Great Lakes climate and ecosystem; and devour so much algae that it will literally push out other fish populations; most of which are food for larger species. If you believe the hard-core fatalists, eventually everything dies off but the Carp.
Michigan and other Great Lakes states have appealed to Illinois to seal off the Sanitary and Shipping Canal; effectively closing the canal to shipping. That represents billions of dollars to Illinois and the state and City of Chicago are not ready to take that step. Where do you think Mayor Daley is on this one?
The Supreme Court has refused to rule on the issue it’s headed to Congress.
Meanwhile some clever folks are coming up with ideas like this…
- John Holden of Rockford, IL thinks that they can overfish the Illinois River, build multimillion dollar processing plants, and turn the Carp into food and fertilizer. All they need is money. What else is new? Read about it here.
- Meanwhile, the L.A. Times reported today that Reggie McLeod likes his Carp smoked or pickled. Apparently the Vietnamese community likes them cooked in coconut milk with lemongrass and chili peppers. The Polish like to remove the pungent fishy odor by soaking it in milk and onions. And Joe Tess restaurant in Omaha proudly serves its Carp fried. So let’s just eat the darn things.
I have a hunch that the way things are going with our economy and in Washington, these folks might just solve the dilemma before Congress gets it on the docket.
Here are a couple shots of one of the ugliest fish I’ve ever come across…our new nemesis, the Asian Carp. Did you know they jump and are dangerous to boaters?
