Keeping Out the Carp

Dr. Phil Moy on the Asian Carp Threat Wednesday, May 19 Crossroads at Big Creek, 2041 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay 920.743.6003

It’s big, it’s ugly, and it has sparked yet another border battle between Wisconsin and Illinois.

The Asian Carp, an invasive species that typically grows to 12 – 15 pounds but can approach 100 pounds, has made its way up the Chicago Shipping and Sanitary Canal and near Lake Michigan. It’s feared that if it enters the lake it will rock the balance of the lake’s ecosystem.

Dr. Phil Moy, Fisheries and Invasive Species Specialist with the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, will speak about the Asian Carp threat May 19 at Crossroads at Big Creek.

Illinois officials have fought against calls to close the locks on the Chicago River to keep the carp out of the lake. They say it would have severe economic consequences for the city and state. Those outside Illinois counter that not doing so would have calamitous consequences for the entire Great Lakes region.

Dr. Moy is the state’s leading expert on the fish.

“It would be worth the investment, not just to stop the Asian Carp but to stop other aquatic invasive species,” he said. Moy suggests other solutions that could keep commerce moving and the carp at bay.

The carp feeds on many of the same sources as the sport fish of the great lakes, and the fishermen fear the carp would muscle out many native species.