Poison trap to be deployed tonight to keep Asian Carp out of Lake Michigan and Great Lakes. FOXNews interview with Stacey Solano of the Illinois Departent of Natural Resources.
Thousands of Asian Carp are being killed tonight because if they are not destroyed they will invade territories and eat every other fish species in sight, which could devastate the Great Lake’s $7 billion fishing industry. The unprecedented fish kill involves dumping gallons of the toxin rotenone into the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Romeoville.
The thousands of dead fish that will result are expected to weigh about 200,000 pounds. Large nets on barges will be used to pick up the fish. The fish will then be transferred and disposed in a landfill. Clean-up efforts are expected to begin tomorrow morning.
The effort of stopping Asian Carp from reaching Lake Michigan also involves shooting electric currents in the water to stun the fish and use sports fisherman to catch the fish. Some of the fish are about 50 inches long.
In April, the Army Corps of Engineers also activated the second of two underwater electric barriers in the canal — the only waterway linking the Chicago River and the Mississippi River.
Rotenone, occurs naturally in the roots and stems of several plants such as the jicama vine plant, is commonly used in powdered or emulsified liquid form in fisheries management to remove unwanted fish species.
Interesting!