A Canadian government study
(PDF) released yesterday revives fears that Asian Carp will set up a
population in Lake Michigan before the federal government takes
preemptive action. The report arrives as both the U.S. Congress and five
Great Lake states, not including Illinois, push the U.S. Army Corp of
Engineers (USACE), a federal government agency, to take action by the
end of 2013. Read more »
The recent legislative fight in Washington to keep the interest rate
on federally-subsidized Stafford loans from doubling also provided an
unexpected victory for those concerned with keeping invasive species out
of the Great Lakes.
Included within the $120 billion transportation bill
Congress passed last Friday was a measure to extend the student loan
interest rate at 3.4 percent for one year as well as a provision
requiring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to come up with a plan in 18 months to prevent Asian Carp from entering the Great Lakes.
Recent testing of waters near Lake Michigan has netted genetic
evidence of the presence of Asian carp for a third consecutive year.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported 17 positive results
of Asian carp environmental DNA (eDNA) from 114 water samples taken
out of Lake Calumet and the Little Calumet River, both located on
Chicago’s far South Side, late last month.
The findings
were the strongest proof in two years of the existence of the invasive
species within the Chicago area, according to USACE Fishery Biologist
Kelly Baerwaldt, who said the results marked the highest number of
positive hits for a single day since the agency began taking samples in
2009.
A Canadian government 
The recent legislative fight in Washington to keep the interest rate
on federally-subsidized Stafford loans from doubling also provided an
unexpected victory for those concerned with keeping invasive species out
of the Great Lakes.
Recent testing of waters near Lake Michigan has netted genetic
evidence of the presence of Asian carp for a third consecutive year.