Thursday, June 24, 2010

Alien Carp

Alien Invasion: Asian Carp Breach Great Lakes Barrier

They can grow to 4 feet and 100 pounds and eat 40 percent of their body weight daily. They have knocked jet skiers unconscious. Scientists have been warning of their invasion for years.

And now an Asian carp was found this week for the first time beyond the electric barriers meant to keep the invasive species out of the Great Lakes. Scientists fear that the carp will become established in the Great Lakes, starving out sports fish and killing the region's $7 billion fishing industry.

"This is simply another sort of fishy, slimy reminder that a permanent solution needs to be right around the corner, not five or 10 years away," Joel Brammeier, president of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, told AOL News today.

"This finding is extraordinarily disturbing. The bottom line is: It makes it even more urgent for us to build a permanent solution."

The bighead Asian carp caught live on Wednesday was discovered by commercial fishermen in a waterway about six miles from Lake Michigan. It was about 3 feet long and weighed just under 20 pounds, according to a news release from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.


The rest of the article here.

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