Petition to Stop Asian Carp in Great Lakes

http://www.stopasiancarp.com/

The information I don't see there is WHY they want to leave the locks open. There must be a reason. I get the impression that it must be a good reason, because it's not mentioned anywhere on the site you linked.

Aha, here's the explanation:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100119/...urt_asian_carp

So, closing the locks:
A) would block the shipping route.
B) cause flooding.
C) wouldn't work anyhow, because the locks leak and there are routes around it.
D) It's probably too late--if the current electronic barrier isn't working, this won't work either.

Illinois does a lot of shipping between Chicago and the Mississippi River. Illinois would lose significant commerce if this canal is blocked. The other States involved do their shipping primarily from the St Lawrence Seaway. Illinois is putting money above the environment. Environmentalists are arguing that money should be secondary to protecting the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Having lived within an hours drive of a Great Lake for most of my life, especially lake Ontario, I have to wonder exactly what is left of that ecosystem to ruin. We are talking the same lake, right? The one that, when they tried to clean it, they discovered they were stirring up so much toxic sludge that it was a better idea to leave it there?

On a more serious note, the carp do have the potential to do a lot of damage. But closing those locks isn't the answer.

The Asian carp eat 40 0r 50 times their body weight daily in vegetation that other native creatures need to eat. Biologists fear that native species of fish and other water creatures would entirely disappear from lack of food and the disappearance of those species as well as the disappearing plankton would cause other snowball effects on the environment of the Great Lakes. This is what I have heard on National Public Radio.

i can attest to the shipping personally. i live less than 40 minutes from these shipping routes.
it would shut down many many companies!

i wish it could be that easy. just look at the round goby which they still have done nothing about!

in times like these both sides look at things like this with a half stupid view.
round gobys are bottom dwellers i proposed to the indiana DNR that they implore sinking explosives down in the ports, sure it could hurt other species but those species are still being stocked.i found a round goby more than 200 miles from lake mich.

asian carp in lake mich. would not be a big problem. the problem is the tributaries of the great lakes where it would pose the biggest threat!

They are already widespread. Like many other species, they are here to stay.
I say lets fry some up and see what they taste like.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dave763

They are already widespread. Like many other species, they are here to stay.
I say lets fry some up and see what they taste like.

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Already tried some this past summer. WHen fishing on Lake Michigan caught one, tried it and i did not like its taste at all.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dsirkle

The Asian carp eat 40 0r 50 times their body weight daily in vegetation that other native creatures need to eat. Biologists fear that native species of fish and other water creatures would entirely disappear from lack of food and the disappearance of those species as well as the disappearing plankton would cause other snowball effects on the environment of the Great Lakes. This is what I have heard on National Public Radio.

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Where did they get these insane numbers ?
There is no animal on earth that can consume 40-50 times their body weight in food daily.

You know, if closing the locks would work, sure....but since it WON'T WORK, what on earth is the point?
Seriously, people need to find more productive things to complain about. Or, here's a real novel idea--PROPOSE ACTUAL SOLUTIONS.