The News Herald (news-herald.com), Serving Northern Ohio
Opinion
Editorial: Don't allow carp to reach Lake Erie
Monday, February 22, 2010
The debate taking place in Chicago these days surrounding how and whether to stop destructive Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes might seem like a far-off issue, but it really isn’t when you consider Lake Michigan is a relatively short swim from Lake Erie.
Environmentalists and those who make their living in the $7 billion Great Lakes fishing industry would like nothing more than to see the link between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River basin completely severed, which is believed to be the surest way to keep Asian carp from gaining a foothold in the Great Lakes.
But barge operators who move millions of tons of commodities on the Chicago-area waterways each year understandably want no part of that.
With the debate reaching a crescendo, the Obama administration proposed a $78.5 million solution that doesn't seem to solve much of anything. Instead, it delays making a tough decision — which would consequently upset at least one political interest — and allows the carp more time to infiltrate the ecosystem.
Nor does it seem to address the concerns of either side of the issue.
The White House plan would rely on strengthening an electric barrier designed to block the carp's advance, as well as stepping up efforts to find and kill fish that may have slipped through. Environmentalists fear that's an expensive gamble that might not be enough to ward off an infestation.
The plan would also study closing more often a pair of navigational locks at Chicago, and ultimately could recommend severing the connection between the river and the lakes for good.
Shippers worry that would come at great cost to them by drastically altering their business, perhaps forcing them to more expensive land-based transportation.
In fact, cutting ties between the lakes and the Mississippi River would mean reconfiguring some 70 miles of canals and rivers, according to The Associated Press.
But these carp managed to escape sewage treatment plants in the Deep South starting in the 1970s and have been migrating toward the Great Lakes ever since.
How long before they reach Lake Erie and the shores of Northeast Ohio?
http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2010/02/22/opinion/nh2118788.prt
Previous Topic
Index
