Traverse City Record-Eagle

Michigan

September 15, 2012

Study: No high-risk paths to Lakes for carp

18 canals, ditches and waterways were part of study

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TRAVERSE CITY (AP) — A study of 18 canals, ditches and other waterways that could link the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds found none were likely pathways to the lakes for Asian carp, federal officials said Friday.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assessed the sites as part of a broader search for ways to stop the flood of invasive species between the two giant drainage basins. Of particular concern are bighead and silver carp — ravenous Asian fish scientists say could out-compete native species for food.

Asian carp have infested the Mississippi and Illinois rivers and are approaching a Chicago-area shipping canal through which they might be able to reach Lake Michigan. Under pressure from Congress and advocacy groups, the Army Corps has promised to produce options for blocking their passage by the end of next year.

But the Corps and other federal, state and local agencies are examining other locations that also could serve as back doors for invaders. In 2010, they identified 36 places where a surface water connection across the basin divide could form, particularly during flooding. The list was pared to 18 sites that posed the greatest risk.

The report said none of them had a high potential as entry points for Asian carp, although three were rated as having a medium potential: Eagle Marsh near Fort Wayne, Ind.; Parker-Cobb Ditch near Valparaiso, Ind.; and Little Killibuck Creek in Ohio, about 38 miles southwest of Cleveland. The others had a low potential.

The findings are good news in the battle against the carp, said John Goss, Asian carp director for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

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