Six Weeks of Intensive Sampling Leads to Discovery of Zero Asian Carp

On March 29th, the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee gave an update on sampling in Chicago-area waterways to find out if Asian carp have eluded an electric barrier designed to block their path to Lake Michigan.  After six weeks of sampling, no Asian carp were discovered:

"Over the last six weeks, field crews from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers intensively sampled throughout the entire Chicago Area Waterway System and no Asian carp were observed or collected. . . .

Field crews set approximately 5.6 miles of net and sampled for a total of 60 hours using electrofishing gear in the main channels, barge slips, marinas and other offchannel areas.  Species collected in highest abundance were common carp (1,000) and gizzard shad (+1,000).  Other species observed or collected included bluntnose minnow, drum, pumpkinseed sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, channel catfish, yellow perch, green sunfish and yellow bullhead.  All fish collected were returned to the channel."

Plans are being developed to continue monitoring for Asian carp over the next three months.  Previous monitoring efforts have yielded one Asian carp and the discovery of Asian carp DNA.

Stay tuned to the Illinois Environmental Law Blog for more news and developments.