CHICAGO, Ill. (WTAQ) - A $2 million study was announced Thursday to determine the best way to break the link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. The goal is to keep the invasive carp out of the Great Lakes once and for all.
The Great Lakes Commission and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities’ Initiative will co-sponsor the 18-month study. It will look for ways to break the century-old connection between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi – where Asian carp have been gnawing away at native fish food and plants for years.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley are part of the groups organizing the study. Both had previously opposed efforts to shut down the shipping canals where DNA from the bloated carp had been found.
The problem became more urgent when an actual carp was found recently in an Indiana river south of Lake Michigan. Wisconsin and 4 other states filed a federal lawsuit this week against the federal government and Chicago’s water commission to get them to step up efforts to keep the carp out of the Great Lakes.
Wisconsin officials say the rapidly-growing carp has the potential to ruin the Midwest’s multi-billion dollar fishing industry.
