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Posted on Mon, Feb 15, 2010 : 1:49 p.m.

Federal officials to host meeting in Ypsilanti about Asian carp

By Tina Reed

Federal officials will be discussing what to do about the Asian carp problem at a public meeting in Ypsilanti on Wednesday.

In the second public meeting of its sort in the region, the event is meant to address the federal government's plans and recommendations for protecting the Great Lakes from the invasive fish species.

asian-carp.jpg

Asian bighead carp swim in an exhibit at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. On Friday, Feb. 12, 2010, federal officials briefed the public on their strategy for preventing Asian carp from infesting the Great Lakes.

Associated Press photo

In recent months, the issue has grown in prominence as officials first discovered the fish were much farther north up the Mississippi River than previously thought. So far, proposals and techniques have included increasing the use of electric shocks to kill the fish in certain areas, netting, using sonar and intermittent lock closures.

Earlier this month, officials from the White House Council on Environmental Quaity announced $78.5 million in funds to spend on preventing the spread of Asian carp.

Wednesday's meeting will be held at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest, 1275 S. Huron, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The event will feature discussions between scientific experts and representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, Great lakes states, municipalities and trips, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

The meeting will be available on the Internet via live Web stream, and people can also submit questions online through the Web site. A transcript will be posted later on asiancarp.org/regionalcoordination.

Asian carp are an exotic species to North America and are seen as a huge threat to the fishing and shipping in the region because they reproduce quickly and have large appetites, potentially destabilizing the Great Lakes ecosystem. The large fish can also launch themselves out of the water, potentially creating a hazard for fishermen and boaters.


Tina Reed covers health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. You can reach her at tinareed@annarbor.com, call her at 734-623-2535 or find her on Twitter @TreedinAA.

Comments

krystal

Wed, Feb 17, 2010 : 8:09 a.m.

close locks rebuild native fish population (prech and walleye) peradtion eat baby asian carp

alarictoo

Tue, Feb 16, 2010 : 2:06 p.m.

Tony: First, I'm not sure that we really want the Great Lakes to become the research laboratory for this particular experiment. Atticus: We do not get a lot of sharks or Orca in the Great Lakes; nor piranha. These are very large fish. "Bighead carp grow to 100 pounds, have no stomach and eat up to 40% of their bodyweight every day..." (http://www.stopasiancarp.com/) Goby are tiny and easy for other fish to eat. The only thing that could compete with these for size in the Great Lakes is sturgeon, and they are bottom feeders as well. They would be competing for the same food. These fish would be a plague on the Great Lakes eco-system.

Atticus F.

Tue, Feb 16, 2010 : 1:25 p.m.

People said the same thing about invasion of the Goby into the great lakes 15 years ago. Now years later, I'm told that the goby actually helped the ecosystem and have become a big food source for great lake fish(they even make fishing lures that look like gobies). Thats why I'm leary when I hear about this type of thing. It sounds like another excuse to spend money.

roadsidedinerlover

Tue, Feb 16, 2010 : 10:03 a.m.

I don't think the fish jokes help....If these critters get to Lake Michigan, the Michigan fishing industry will collapse and we can all kiss Michigan's economy bye bye.

Top Cat

Tue, Feb 16, 2010 : 9:58 a.m.

I'm not sure I buy into all this alarm. It seems fishy.

jondhall

Tue, Feb 16, 2010 : 7:55 a.m.

I hope the Government does something! Now this is what they should be doing not bailing out companies and banks! Hey Obama step up lets do that change thing! If these "Carp" get into the great lakes the Democrats in charge are in "big" trouble. Close the Waterway not debate it can always be opened again once a solution is found!

YpsiLivin

Mon, Feb 15, 2010 : 11:27 p.m.

Carp are bottom feeders, so they'll pick up all of the heavy metal pollutants in the canal and rivers. They're probably no good as a meal. Put a bounty of $5-$10 per head on the fish at Uncle Sam's expense and continue to poison the canal until it can be shut down.

RobertinSaline

Mon, Feb 15, 2010 : 10:16 p.m.

This is certainly a watershed moment for the Great Lakes. On a local level, the Illinois DNR should immediately waive fishing licenses for commercial and recreational fishing for the Asian Carp. While they are at it, simplify the fishing license application process in general: Why is it necessary to have a drivers' license or social security number to fish for Asian Carp? This fish could be used for feeding both people & pets. Dumping poison, holding lengthy meetings, hand wringing, etc. really haven't worked so far. Historically humans have fairly effectively been able to decimate a species if the demand or bounty is high enough. Let market forces enter the fray while the hand wringing continues.

clara

Mon, Feb 15, 2010 : 10:07 p.m.

Oh stop your carping!

Val Losse

Mon, Feb 15, 2010 : 8 p.m.

Why here in Ypsi? Why not in Chicago? Why not along the canal where the carp are? What a bonanza! The fish grow to 40 to 80 pounds a piece. Why not sweep nest down the river capturing the fish, freezing them and send the food to Africa and to Asia where people are starving for protien? Seems like a lost oppurtunity to put Americans to work. Have we not fished fish to extension or close to it? Lets get to work. Where is Obama when there is the oppurtunity to creat a million jobs?

tdw

Mon, Feb 15, 2010 : 7:20 p.m.

I'll guarantee if it were Bush people would be commenting that he was just looking out for his billonare shiping buddies

John of Saline

Mon, Feb 15, 2010 : 5:59 p.m.

Obama's from Chicago; no way will he upset the old neighborhood by closing the canal.

tdw

Mon, Feb 15, 2010 : 4:12 p.m.

stupid carp