Grosse Pointe Farms, MI – The Michigan DNRE is “continuing to hunt these animals” Kelley Smith, Fisheries Division Chief, told a crowd of 100 citizens at an Asian Carp Town Hall hosted by State Representative Tim Bledsoe Monday night at the War Memorial.

Asian Carp are large, plankton-eating, invasives that compete with young, near-shore game fish.  It is feared their presence in the Great Lakes will threaten the $7 billion annual fishery there.  No viable population is believed to be in Lake Michigan yet.   But when asked by Bledsoe how long it would take for carp to reach Lake St. Clair, Smith was unsure but was clearly worried about the possibility of the fish affecting the relatively shallow lake’s fishery.

Bill Kirk, from the League of Conservation Voters, said the issue “has become highly political” with Michigan industry fighting Illinois industry. “There have been a number of roadblocks dealing with Chicago and Illinois elected officials,” he said.

Smith, along with other panel members, agreed that the best solution to the complex political and economic problem is a physical and hydrological separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi watersheds.  When an audience member asked about fish poison, Smith said, “Rotenone is not a silver bullet and by itself will be insufficient to kill the carp population.”

Until we get a clear plan for watershed separation, and an understanding of the costs for such a plan, the most effective thing citizens can do is call the White House and their Congressmen and Senators in Washington, DC.  To learn more about the Asian Carp threat to Lake St. Clair and the Great Lakes, go to www.asiancarp.org or www.stopasiancarp.com.