State and federal wildlife officials say their latest search has turned up no Asian carp swimming in an Illinois lake close to Lake Michigan, though they admit they can’t say there are no carp in the lake.
“We’re saying if there are fish there…they’re there in very low abundances," says Kevin Irons, the head of the state of Illinois’ office of Nuisance Aquatic Life. He says no Asian carp were found during a recent four day search of Lake Calumet. Carp DNA was found in the lake recently.
There is new evidence that Asian carp may have slipped past electric barriers in Chicago-area waterways. The barriers are meant to keep the fish from reaching the Great Lakes.
The news has launched a new wave of arguments over the threat posed by the invasive species.
The Army Corps of Engineers turned up nine positive tests for Asian carp DNA out of hundreds taken from Chicago-area waterways.
Federal officials say that’s not proof the invasive species is getting closer to Lake Michigan, or that it poses an imminent threat of infesting the Great Lakes.
The state of Michigan is suing the federal government to get the shipping locks shut down as an emergency precaution.
John Sellek is with the Michigan Attorney General’s office. He says there is a growing body of evidence that the threat exists.
“How many more warnings do we need at this point that that impending tragedy is coming? The time for studying is over. It’s time to take action.”
The state is appealing a judge’s refusal to close the Chicago shipping locks while the Army studies ways to permanently ensure Asian carp don’t become a Great Lakes problem.
Scientists have been testing the water in the channels and rivers above an electric barrier desiged to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.
They've found DNA evidence of the carp in Lake Calumet in the past. Now they've found more.
From the Associated Press:
Scientists have turned up more genetic evidence of Asian carp above an electric barrier designed to keep them from invading the Great Lakes.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this week reported that nine water samples taken in May and June from Chicago-area waterways contained DNA from silver carp, one of two Asian species threatening to enter the lakes after migrating northward in the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
Hundreds of other samples had no carp DNA. But environmentalists say the latest findings show the electric barrier isn't enough to protect the Great Lakes. They want to sever the link between the lakes and the Mississippi basin near Chicago.
The federal government's Asian carp program coordinator said Thursday there's no evidence the fish are getting through the barrier.
DNA evidence can be a sign that Asian carp are in the water, but not necessarily so. It could just be that Asian carp scales or mucus are in suspension in the water column in that area.
Though one researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey says you're much more likely to find the DNA evidence before you find any fish:
"These fish are remarkably cryptic. They are very sensitive to nets and boats. They are not caught by accident by guys with rods and reels."
By the time Asian carp make themselves known, they tend to be breeding and well-established, he said.
"It's typical for a species to putter along at a barely noticeable level for several generations... but when you get the density high enough, you are definitely going to start noticing them."
The U.S. House Appropriations Committee just passed a bill that contains some pretty major cuts to Great Lakes funding.
There are a couple of things being targeted:
One is Great Lakes restoration money. That’s being used to clean up pollution, restore habitat and fight invasive species. That pot of money is facing a 17 percent cut.
More details have emerged about the deaths of two sailors participating in the Chicago-to-Mackinac race. A teenager was one of the six crew members who survived when the boat capsized during a storm.
C.J. Cummings was one of eight sailors tossed into the waves of a storm at 12:20 a.m. Monday. About 5:30 a.m., the phone rang with word that C.J. was OK and on shore at Charlevoix, along with his teenage friend sailing with the group.
"Hey, Dad," were the first words Chip Cummings heard from his son.
"Typical teenager," the relieved father said Monday, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, it was quite a rough ride."
The captain, Mark Morley, 51, and his girlfriend, Suzanne Bickel, 41, both of Saginaw, drowned.
Organizers of the Chicago-to-Mackinac race say they've never experienced a fatality in the race's 103 year history until Monday.
The Free Press reports the survivors were C.J. Cummings, 16; John Dent, 50; Stan Dent, 51; Peter Morley, 47; Stewart Morley, 15, and Lee Purcell, 46.
Morley and Bickel were found under the capsized boat strapped in. Tethers are often used in storms so crew don't get tossed from the boat. If the boat capsizes, crew members can cut the lines. Bickel and Morley's tethers were tangled, according to one rescue diver.
ABC News 7 in Chicago has this raw video of the capsized boat:
When bacteria levels get high, county health departments close the beaches. The latest news of a beach closure is on Lake St. Clair:
A week after the Macomb County Health Department gave the all-clear message to swimmers at Memorial Park Beach in St. Clair Shores, the beach has again been deemed unsafe for swimming.
The department issued a no-swimming advisory today for the beach because of high E. coli levels
Blossom Heath in St. Clair Shores remains under the no-swimming advisory because of its E. coli levels, as it has been since May 26.
County health departments issue the warnings and closures, and the state keeps track of them.
The Michigan BeachGuard System has a map with red flags marking closures and advisories.
Currently, there are 15 advisories or closures at public beaches around the state - that's 15 out of 1,211 public beaches.
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