Single Asian carp found 6 miles from Lake Michigan

AP ^ | June 23, 2010 | Serena Dai and John Flesher

[C19fan]

An Asian carp was found for the first time beyond electric barriers meant to keep the voracious invasive species out of the Great Lakes, state and federal officials said Wednesday, prompting renewed calls for swift action to block their advance.

Commercial fishermen landed the 3-foot-long, 20-pound bighead carp in Lake Calumet on Chicago's South Side, about six miles from Lake Michigan, according to the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee.

[C19fan]

Invasive species alert. Zero was warned about this but he refused to close the channels from Chicago into the Great Lakes.

[MSF BU]

What do they taste like?

[Dallas59]

Can you eat them?

[ozark hilljilly]

Some hoity-toity restaurants in the Chicago area hawk ‘em as “Beijing Bass” so I’ve been told.

[OldDeckHand]

"What do they taste like?"

Not good. Think Sheep's Head. Some people love 'em. I'm not one of those people.

[JohnD9207]

All the jokes aside...this is a bad problem for the Great Lakes...

[Popman]

Asian Carp can grow to 4 feet and 100 pounds and eat up to 40 percent of their body weight daily.

[OldDeckHand]

Yep, it’s horrible. Asian Carp will - not might - destroy the commercial and sport fishing industries along the Great Lakes. Unless something draconian is done, it’s only a matter of time.

[Dallas59]

But it might be racist to get rid of this fish...It reminds a lot of people of home../s

[Krankor]

Single Asian carp found 6 miles from Lake Michigan
Imagine how bad it would be if it was married.

[Oztrich Boy]

Single Asian carp found 6 miles from Lake Michigan

It's OK, It wasn't a married one

[Cindy]

NOTE The following text is a quote:

http://hoekstra.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=192071

Hoekstra Calls on Administration to Take Immediate Action after Asian Carp Found

Washington, Jun 23 - U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, today called on the Obama Administration to immediately provide the Army Corps of Engineers with the authority necessary to fight the invasion of the Asian carp after one had been found above the Corps Electric Barrier System.

“The administration has been dragging its feet instead of taking bold decisive action to stop the invasion of the Asian carp,” Hoekstra said. “For far too long the effort has been reactive as opposed to proactive.”

Recognizing the urgency and lack of leadership, Hoekstra earlier this year introduced a bill that would make the Army Corps of Engineers the lead agency and provide them the authority to fight the invasion of Asian carp into the Great Lakes.

The bill would authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite a number of measures to prevent the Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes, including applying fish poisons, fixing locks and installing new barriers that include electrical, air-bubble and sound barriers that disorient fish.

“Closing the locks is not enough, and the Army Corps has acknowledged that they have no intention to do so,” Hoekstra said. “Time has been wasted with lawsuits and crossing fingers hoping that the carp will stay out of the lakes. Action has never been more necessary, and I hope that the administration recognizes the urgency with which this problem needs to be addressed and provide every tool to end this threat.”