Just when you thought it was safe to go swimming ! Fiona
Asian Carp eDNA Found in Calumet Harbor, Supreme Court Rejects Case Requesting Closing of Locks to Lake Michigan
By Gary Reich
Jan. 20, 2010
Back in September 2009, many Great Loop Cruisers found themselves stuck on the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal (southwest of Chicago, IL) when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) upped the voltage of a fish barrier designed to keep Asian carp from traveling farther northeast toward Lake Michigan. Unsure whether the increased voltage would cause harm to transiting vessels, the USACE closed the canal, stranding several cruisers attempting to pass through. While the canal was eventually opened to recreational traffic, concern over Asian carp hasn't gone away. Subsequently, the canal was poisoned, hoping to further stop the looming spread of the pesky fish. Things get even more interesting.
As an introduction, Asian carp are an invasive species that entered the Mississippi River system in the 1960s, traveling farther and farther north ever since. The fish is now known to exist near the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal, 20 miles southwest of Lake Michigan. The large fish can consume huge amounts of plankton and push weights over 100 pounds. The fear is if Asian carp enter the Great Lakes ecosystem, they will destroy the multi-billion dollar fishing industry by overwhelming the food chain of the existing species that are commercially harvested there. Once the fish and their eDNA were discovered nearer to the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal than expected, politics took over.
On December 21, 2009 Michigan State Attorney Mike Cox filed suit with the U.S. Supreme Court requesting the complete closure of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in an effort to keep the species from entering Lake Michigan. On January 5, 2010, the Illinois State Attorney General filed a counter suit with the Supreme Court, urging that the request for the closure of the locks be rejected. On January 19, 2010, the Supreme Court rejected Michigan's request to close the locks.
Also on January 19, 2010, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers press release stated that eDNA samples tested positive in two areas beyond the final barriers (Calumet Harbor and Calumet River) on Lake Michigan. Officials state, however, that the eDNA test results are far from conclusive and do not necessarily mean a large population (or even any) of the fish are present.
The series of closures, poisonings, eDNA findings and court filings has set off a multi-jurisdictional and agency conflict with little sight of any agreement on the horizon. The USACE and the Fish and Wildlife Service have attempted to downplay concerns, while organizations like the Alliance for the Great Lakes believe immediate action is required. More eDNA testing has been promised and researchers plan larger-scale efforts to find live specimens in the areas where the eDNA was found. For now, the locks remain open.
The real concern in closing the locks is not only the effect it will have on the commercial shipping that uses the canal (valued at $1.5 billion), but what it will mean to recreational boaters, who utilize the canal to gain access to the Mississippi River and ports farther south. The USACE has stated that closing the locks will not solve the problem, as fish will find other routes into the lakes and that the locks are "leaky" enough to allow passage of the fish toward Lake Michigan.
Waterway Guide has been keeping a close eye on the situation, as it presents the threat of closing off the only link to the Mississippi River, thereby eliminating the ability for cruisers to complete the Great Circle Route. Waterway Guide Web editor Ted Stehle posts updates to the Waterway Guide Web site almost daily. Stay tuned to www.waterwayguide.com for updates as they become available.
This email was sent to info@kettlecreekmarina.com by editor@waterwayguide.com.
Waterway Guide PO Box 4219 326 First Street, Suite 400 Annapolis MD 21403
of water to rush downstream. However their way was blocked by solid sheets of ice covering the river -in some parts two feet thick. This caused a daming effect until the pressure was so great that the ice "snapped' and with a great roar the water surged forward another few dozen feet. This pattern was repeated over and over again until the water could disapate into the outer harbour and lake. Flooding occurs when the water, unable to break a path through the ice, goes under it raising the ice and water levels several feet at a time.
