Army Corps of Engineers and Illinois are trying to stop the carp from entering the Great Lakes. //end headline wrapper ?>Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee
School of Jumping Silver Carp (A species of Asian Carp). Photo by Jason Jenkins. (CC BY 2.0)
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has signed an agreement with the State of Illinois to begin early work on an $858 million project to prevent the spread of Asian carp into the Great Lakes.
The invasive fish was first introduced to the southern United States in the early 1960s and 1970s, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Asian carp threaten the $7 billion fishing industry and $16 billion recreation boating industry on the Great Lakes. The Asian invader threatens native fish species because they can consume almost half of their body weight in food each day. Signs of the fish have been found just miles from Lake Michigan.