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| Asian Carp Ruling Expected Tuesday |
A ruling is expected Tuesday on the fate of Lake Michigan and the battle against Asian Carp.
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to make a decision regarding a lawsuit filed by Michigan, Indiana, and New York calling for the closure of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to prevent the invasive Asian Carp from entering the Great Lakes.
Gov. Pat Quinn believes a solution to keep the carp away can be found without lawsuits. "I think we really need to have a summit of the states and the Canadian provinces so we put our best scientific minds together so we do this in a proper way," Quinn said. "We cannot harm our economy in a severe manor, especially now. At the same time we know we have to protect the Great Lakes."
The Asian Carp entered several of the nation's waterways after fish farming ponds in the Southern United States flooded, allowing the fish into the Mississippi River and later the Missouri and Illinois rivers. Some experts believe the carp were already established in the Mississippi before floods in the 1990s. Like bait fish, the carp feed on plankton and in doing so, greatly reduce the food supply for domestic fish.
The concern from those states that filed the lawsuit is that the Asian Carp will destroy the commercial and sport fishing industries.
An electrical barrier is in place near Romeoville, and according to some officials it is the best defense in keeping the carp out of Lake Michigan.
If the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal is closed, it would mean major changes for the barge industry and businesses that utilize barges to transport raw materials and goods.
(Illinois Radio Network) |
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| 01 18 10 by Newsroom |
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