Make a Call and Help Stop Asian Carp from Entering the Great Lakes!

October 15, 2009

The powerful, leaping Asian carp, which could devastate the region's $4.5 billion fishing industry and are known to knock recreational boaters and anglers from their boats, have reached the electrical barrier operating in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

A new concern looms that could make the barrier irrelevant, however, and spread the invasive fish into the Great Lakes.

We need you to make a call to your representative in Congress, to Senator Feingold and Senator Kohl, and to the Army Corps of Engineers to make sure the carp stays out of our local water.

Asian carp inhabiting the nearby Des Plaines River, in some places less than 100 feet from the canal, could make their way into Lake Michigan if floodwaters spill over the riverbanks during a heavy rain this fall.

Asian carp are non-native fish that are already seriously damaging the environment and economy of the Mississippi River and threaten to do the same in the Great Lakes.  The carp – specifically the bighead and silver carp --  are voracious filter feeders that can grow to more than 3 feet long and quickly dominate a body of water.

We urge you to contact your Congressmen, Senators and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, calling on them to immediately:

• Construct an emergency physical barrier (such as sandbags) between the Des Plaines River and the Sanitary and Ship Canal to prevent the river and live Asian carp from flooding into the canal past the electrical barrier.
• Install an additional barrier to stop the invading carp from migrating upstream into the Des Plaines River.
• Fill critical sections of the I&M Canal to prevent carp from swimming into the Sanitary and Ship Canal during floods.

Take Action! Please make four calls:
1. Contact your member of Congress (find out yours here) and Senators Feingold & Kohl. Ask them to tell the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take the immediate emergency actions above to stop Asian carp from getting into the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal during a flood. Call 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your representative's and senators' offices.

2. Contact Ms. Jo Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works). Tell her that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must take immediate emergency action to ensure Asian carp cannot get into the Great Lakes during a flood. Assistant Secretary Darcy can be reached at (703) 697-8986 or by writing 108 Army Pentagon, Room 3E446, Washington, DC 20310-0108