(reprint) Hunt for Asian carp ends; none found
Hunt for Asian carp ends; none found (reprint)
RE-PRINT from Detroit Free Press story by TINA LAM
( FULL ARTICLE )
After nearly a week of picking poisoned fish out of the Little Calumet River near Chicago, federal and state officials in Illinois today declared an end to the hunt for Asian carp, their intended target, saying none were found among the thousands of fish they recovered.
The O’Brien lock, one of three major locks in Chicago, was reopened today to commercial and recreational boats, although boaters were cautioned against handling any dead fish.
Crews using nets collected more than 100,000 pounds of fish from 40 species during the operation.
Officials will now look at all the evidence they’ve collected to date to see if they can figure out exactly how much of a risk the bighead and silver carp present to Lake Michigan, said John Rogner, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
DNA from the two species of Asian carp has been found since late last year in dozens of spots above the electric barrier intended to keep the fish back, but to date, no carp have been found.
“This is good news,” said Marc Gaden of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission in Ann Arbor, who watched the poisoning operation that began last Thursday.
Finding no carp means they are in the area only in low numbers, he said.
