Carpe Diem

Maybe you've heard a little about the Asian carp issue in the Great Lakes. But I've had several non-fishing folks as questions like, "Is it really that big a deal?" or "What's the issue?"

Asian carp are eating machines. A single fish can eat up to 100% of its body weight PER DAY. They literally devastate the food supply in the waters they inhabit - snuffing out both native and naturalized species. Initially I thought perhaps the colder water temps of the Great Lakes region would hamper them, as it does with some other fish. Nope. Asian carp do just fine in a broad range of water temperatures. Once they establish a foothold in a region, it's game over.

In addition to the food supply there's the behavior of the fish. It seems surface disturbances like boat wakes rile them up to start leaping high in the air. Imagine running across open water in a boat, only to find a 50 pound fish flying at you.

Generally, I'm an advocate of minimal intervention on the course of nature - I favor dam removal on rivers, I'm pleased that it looks like the weir on the PM will be shut down in the near future. But that's in the case of natural occurrences. The Asian carp were brought to this country by catfish farmers in the Missippi Delta region to clean up the waters in their fish farms. Unfortunately no one understood their voracious appetites, nor their ability to migrate to other waters. In this case, we need to stop an element that man introduced, so I'm all for whatever it takes.

What's fascinating is the response of our (alleged) leaders in Washington. The Supreme Court refused to hear MI Attorney General Mike Cox's case, and President Obama proved himself an Illinois homer by initially supporting his native state's opposition to closing the Chicago locks. It would appear that some progress is finally being made and pressure will begin to be applied to Illinios, but it still falls short of the drastic measures this exceptional species merits. At times I wonder if we really did learn anything from the lamprey or alewife problems.

Finally, there's the simple economics. Michigan is a state that's been hammered by the recent recession. Current unemployment in the City of Detroit is 30% - triple the national average. And this ripple has been felt throughout the state. The commercial and recreational fisheries industry in Michigan is a $7 billion annual business. Combine that with other Great Lakes states, as well as the Province of Ontario and you could easily be looking at a $20 billion annual industry. I've read varying reports on the impact of closing shipping on Illinios - most seem to center at about $70-80 million. Yes, you read that right. We're gambling on a $20 billion industry over $70 million. Unfortunately, as the gateway to the Missippi River, Illinios holds a lot of the cards right now.

What can you do? For starters, visit Mike Cox's web site and sign the petition. If you're more intrigued, write or e-mail your legislators to continue to apply pressure to the Obama administration and the Illinois legislature.