Thread: Loop Lifespan
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Old 01-11-2018, 02:46 PM   #38
Great Laker
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City: Spring Lake, MI
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I have been attending meetings of groups funded to study the Asian Carp invasion into the Great Lakes. Here are a few points that have not been mentioned.

The DNA of these carp has been found upstream of the electric fence on the Illinois River. However, to my knowledge no live fish have been caught upstream.

Asian carp have also come up the Ohio River into Ohio and could soon get into Lake Erie as well. So, Chicago is not the single point of entry.

One of the high risks for these fish getting in the Great Lakes is referred to as the "Yahoo Factor". That is where someone takes a fish from the Illinois and dumps it into a river flowing into the GLs just for a kick. These fish can stay alive out of water for many hours in the back of a vehicle.

It is not clear if the carp can sustain themselves in the GLs as there are few rivers suitable to for the fist to go upstream and spawn and the eggs to survive to maturity.

Finally, the salmon are dropping in numbers due to increased water clarity and lack of small fish food sources. So food supplies are an issue as well.
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