Hi All-

If you have been following the Qajaq USA board you have probably seen my posts on the problem of the Asian Carp entering the Great Lakes through the artificial Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal, which connects Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. Since Asian Carp escaped from aquaculture ponds in Arkansas in the 90s during Mississippi River flooding, they have moved north, displacing every other living thing in their path. They are now over 90% of the total biomass of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, and according to the Army Corps of Engineers, they comprise 97% of the total biomass in the Illinois River. What that means is that 97% of all living things in the water- plant, animal, or other, are Asian Carp. They don't eat other animals, they eat plankton, which is at the bottom of the food chain. The fish grow to 100lbs, and can consume 40% of their weight in plankton daily. Since they eat all of the material at the bottom of the food chain, everything else essentially starves to death. They aren't simply a below the water problem that can be ignored, either. Google "Asian Carp" and you will find literally hundreds of videos of the fish jumping from the water and hitting boaters. Some boaters on the Illinois have even resorted to wearing helmets.

So here's the thing. The canal is artificial, and there are several shipping locks that can be closed to completely stop the ability of the carp to move into the lake. This is essential because once in, they can't be removed. In fact, the Army Corps of Engineers announced that DNA evidence, but not actual fish, had been found in Lake Michigan. This is a problem that can be stopped 100%. If the locks are closed, nothing passes. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is personally holding this up. In recent legal action by Michigan's Attorney General, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Canada all joined the suit asking the locks be closed until a solution is found. Governor Quinn refuses.

Here is a link to an article that clearly summarizes the present situation: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/82058727.html

Here's what you can do: First, visit the State of Michigan's web site on the subject at: http://www.stopasiancarp.com/ and sign the petition as an individual. If you are a member of a paddling club, contact your club's members and ask them to do the same. If you are the leadership of a club or business that is either directly or indirectly interested in or dependent on the health of the Great Lakes, please contact the web site and become an endorsee.

Then, call your local senators, representatives, MPs, the EPA, Environment Canada, or representatives of your home country's government.

Lastly, please call Governor Quinn directly and express your dissatisfaction that he is personally responsible for the destruction of the entire Great Lakes Ecosystem- that includes not just the lakes, but every river, lake, creek, stream, ditch, or puddle that has contact with the Great Lakes all the way from Chicago to the Atlantic Ocean. His contact information is: Springfield office phone number is: 217-782-0244, his Chicago office is: 312-814-2121. The web page with an email contact form is: http://www.illinois.gov/gov/contactthegovernor.cfm .

If you think that this is strictly a Great Lakes issue- consider that 70% of the liquid in the canal is effluent from Chicagoland's sewage treatment plants, and it is in effect a huge toilet that uses 2.1 billion gallons of Lake Michigan's water per day to flush the sewage into the Illinois river and down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Also consider the fact that nothing will stop the wheels of commerce. It is a hollow argument to say that the canal is essential for moving commodities. If the canal is closed, the goods will simply be shipped by some other means, shifting jobs from one profession to another. It may be inconvenient, but there is an alternative. Once the carp have entered the Great Lakes, there is no returning. They will never be able to be exterminated from the lake, and the destruction of the lakes is inevitable.

Thanks for your help!

Mike Bielski