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Work together to solve Asian carp problem

The newest discovery of Asian carp DNA in Lake Calumet in Illinois, just a few miles south of Lake Michigan, is a troubling reminder of the threat that invasive species poses to our Great Lakes ecosystem.

In the past, the Great Lakes have been prone to foreign invaders of invasive species and, by the time we caught on to their dangers, it was too late. Species like zebra mussels and gobies have turned the entire ecosystem in lakes like Huron “upside down and inside out.”

In the instance of Asian carp, we understand the danger they pose to the Great Lakes. The threat from them entering the Great Lakes not only is alarming, it is downright scary. Once into the ecosystem, they would quickly compete with other fish for plankton, snails and clams. Voracious eaters, they would disrupt the food chain. And, because they reproduce in large numbers, they quickly would take over the ecosystem, perhaps eliminating whole other species of game fish in the lakes.

Simply put, Asian carp have to be kept out of the Great Lakes.

We have known about the threat for years, yet today seem no closer to a permanent solution than when we first started.

If Asian carp make their way to the Great Lakes, then shame on us.

Instead of allowing that to happen, however, let’s put politics aside and work together to implement a permanent solution to this problem.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)

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