More Carp

Author: David Lefere
Date: 06/22/2010

In our last newsletter, I addressed the problems that Asian Carp present to the Great Lakes and its ecosystem (“What a Bunch of Carp!”). Asian Carp are currently believed to be in the Illinois River in Chicago, which is a tributary to Lake Michigan.
Michigan has led the legal fight to close the locks that connect Lake Michigan to the Illinois waterways. Unfortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court recently rejected a bid by the State of Michigan to permanently separate the waters of the Chicago-area rivers and canals from Lake Michigan to stop the migration of the Asian Carp. The State of Michigan and other Great Lakes states have argued that the waterways should be permanently separated due to the devastating effect the Asian Carp could have on the region’s billion dollar fishing industry and much of its tourism business.
While the Supreme Court’s decision is certainly a set-back in the fight against the Asian Carp in the Great Lakes, it is important to note that the Supreme Court DID NOT say they dismissed the merits of the State of Michigan’s claim that the Asian Carp are an immediate and significant threat to the Great Lakes. The State of Michigan has vowed to continue the fight.