From the outbox of Meyer’s inbox:
It would seem that we’re in the middle of a fish invasion. Specifically, Asian Carp that are threatening the Illinois water ways. They were originally brought in way down stream to solve another ecologic threat but were swept north by floods. Here’s the CBS News report on the situation.
Discovery News follows up on this story and delves into the plan to poison the river in an effort to flush out the fish.
POISON PLAN TO REPEL ASIAN CARP INVASION by Caryn Rousseau for the AP
Illinois environmental officials will dump a toxic chemical into a nearly 6-mile stretch of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Wednesday to keep the voracious Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes while an electrical barrier is turned off for maintenance.
The fish, which can grow to 4 feet long and 100 pounds and are known to leap from the water at the sound of passing motors, have been found within a few miles of Lake Michigan and there is evidence they might have breached the barrier, designed to repel them with a non-lethal jolt.
Environmentalists fear the fish, which consume up to 40 percent of their body weight daily in plankton, would starve out smaller and less aggressive competitors and possibly lead to the collapse of the Great Lakes sport and commercial fishing industry.
The fish toxin rotenone will be spread Wednesday evening near Lockport, Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Stacey Solano said. After about eight hours, crews will use large cranes with nets to scoop up an estimated 200,000 pounds of dead fish, she said.
Hmmm, lots of dead fish. If only we knew someone who could take on that Dirty Job. You can read the rest of the Discovery News story here.
