"Two wrongs may not make a right but a thousand wrongs make a writer.”

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Can They Be Stopped?


Everything is connected on planet Earth. It is said that the flutter of a butterfly wing in Thailand affects a thunderstorm in Wisconsin. Because of a century-old mistake, this ugly, inedible, aggressive fish is within striking distance of Lake Michigan. If it reaches the lakes the fear is that it will destroy the Great Lakes fishing industry, harm the drinking water that 40 million people depend on, and make the lakes unsafe for swimming and boating.

Asian Carp have been moving up the Mississippi River into the Illinois River for years, and now they’ve reached the canal that connects the infested Illinois River to Lake Michigan. This canal was dug over a hundred years ago for ease of moving barge traffic into the lakes, and all that separates the carp-infested Illinois River from them is a single, electrified barrier. If that barrier needs to be shut down for maintenance—and occasionally, it does—there's nothing to stop the intruders from making their way into the freshwater paradise.

Asian Carp were stocked in Louisiana fish ponds to clean them, but during a period of flooding they escaped into the Mississippi River. This ill-conceived idea combined with a century-old mistake has now endangered our nation's most precious natural resource.

We are not talking about common carp, which are eaten in many places. The creatures in question here are the silver and bighead carp. Even if they didn't taste terrible,

they have interlaced, "floating bones" that make them a nightmare to eat. While they are not good to eat, they are very good at eating. They can get up to 100 pounds in size and eat 40% of their body weight daily. The climate of the Great Lakes region is similar to their native Asian habitats and they would have no natural predators. They would simply out-eat and out-breed the others.

The fear is that the carp will transform the Great Lakes ecosystem into something unrecognizable. One need only look at infested sections of the Illinois River where environmental officials say that carp now comprise nine out of every 10 pounds of living material—plant or animal—found in the water. That’s 90% of the total biomass! "Sooner or later, those carp are going to find a breeding home" in Lake Michigan, said Joel Brammeier, acting president of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, a Chicago advocacy group. "And once that happens, there's going to be no stopping the Asian carp in the Great Lakes."

For the Great Lakes, already taxed by the invasion of other non-native species, it could be the last straw. "Once in the lakes, it would be very difficult to control them" say the Fish and Wildlife Service

One would think that the Great Lake States would unite on this issue, but Chicago business and political interests do not want to lose easy use of barges for shipping. So there's a fight. In an urgent effort to close down Chicago-area passages that could allow the unwanted fish to reach Lake Michigan, the State of Michigan is suing the State of Illinois. Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin have filed documents in recent days supporting Michigan’s move, and Indiana says it will soon do the same. But it may be too late. They shouldn't have waited until Asian carp came within striking distance before getting around to suing the very negligent and irresponsible state of Illinois.

“Officials need to put a cork in the connection between the Mississippi and the Great Lakes built more than a century ago. The end point clearly needs to be biological separation," said Marc Gaden, spokesman for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission in Ann Arbor, Mich., which focuses on protecting the lakes' fishing industry. “Commerce will find a way to move cargo. The commodities will still move. And move efficiently. Until we slam the door, this problem will not go away.”

We must separate the Mississippi River from the Great Lakes basin, as Mother Nature intended. But will it happen? Michigan had taken their suit directly to the Supreme Court, but, sadly, the court declined to consider the suit.

Please pass the word, blog about this, call the White House, or leave an email in the nice little comment form. It's easy and you'll feel good about it. Michigan's Attorney General, Mike Cox, has requested that President Obama use his executive powers to close the locks and wouldn't it be cool if the Whitehouse was inundated with demands that he do just that? Even if you don’t rely on the Great Lakes for your drinking water, or eat fish from them, swim in them or vacation on them, what happens to them will eventually affect you, like the flutter of a butterfly’s wing.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Though the butterfly effect is a bit of a fallacy, since the perturbational effects of a butterfly wing, due to entropic losses, won't affect much of anything past a few inches from the butterfly (yes, I'm a huge geek--why do you ask?), I'm right there with you regarding the need for action.

Politicians, however, seem to have a great deal of trouble thinking long-term about anything (see the national debt, social security crisis, Afghanistan, healthcare, etc.). I'm also a cynic.

Who knows? I could be pleasantly surprised. Thanks for getting the word out, good lady.

P.S. Word verification = respect. Huh.

Yvonne Osborne said...

Simon,

Yes, but that inch of sway affects the blade of grass which brushes against the leg of the preying mantis who then steps across . . .

I, too, am very much a cynic when it comes to the policical scene. But I am trying to hang on to my belief in the power of grassroots, and the butterfly effect may be a fallacy but I like the possibility.

Thanks so much, Simon for sharing my concern.

Anonymous said...

Wow, I am sorry to hear about this threat. My husband's family is made up of avid fishermen and hunters. Because of this, I fully understand how easy it is to upset the balance in nature and irrevocably change ecosystems for the worse.

I will pass the word along.

Yvonne Osborne said...

Cat,

Thank you!!! A huge thank you. The online writers community is the best.

mary.anne.gruen@gmail.com said...

I'm sorry to hear about this. A lot of folks don't get that everything's connected. Or they don't care. All we can do is keep speaking out.

Yvonne Osborne said...

Mary Anne,
I'm afraid the problem is that too many people just don't care.

As they say, the opposite of good is not evil but apathy.

Thanks for caring and speaking out.

Anonymous said...

The Asian Carp need to be distroyed before they ruin the GREAT LAKES !
I am confused as to how to send our concerns to the Whitehouse, congress, etc... Please note the link.....

and IS ANYONE LISTENING?

GOOD LUCK ... . I SUPPORT YOUR EFFORTS.....and the word is getting out....
Later, Barb ...

Yvonne Osborne said...

Barb,
Thanks. The White House link gives you the option to email your comments directly. The main switchboard number is also listed on the sidebar. If enough people raise their voice maybe the President will use his executive powers to close the locks as Mike Cox has urged. I think people would be overwhelmingly supportive. They've known about this growing problem and talking about if for over 7 years! Talk talk talk. Can we just get it done!??!

Anonymous said...

Agreed and I have send Mr. Obama my opinion. How many others will?

Brother John

Yvonne Osborne said...

John,
Yea!
Probably not many. At least we can say we did something.