Environment & Climate Change

A bighead carp at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

Asian carp have been making their way up the Mississippi River system for years after escaping from fish farms and wastewater treatment ponds in the southern U.S.They’re knocking on the door of the Great Lakes, and a number of people are concerned about what could happen if carp become established in the region.In this five-part series, we’ll take a look at what officials are trying to do to keep the fish out, what might happen if carp get in, and why some people want to turn carp into a business opportunity.

Camp: Lock out the Asian carp

Michigan Public

Published February 17, 2011 at 5:12 PM EST

Asian carp jumping out of water — A Michigan lawmaker wants to ban the use of federal money to open Chicago-area shipping locks in an effort to prevent the spread of Asian carp.

U.S. Representative Dave Camp of Midland is trying a new approach to keep invasive Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes.

He wants to ban the use of federal funds to open Chicago-area shipping locks. Camp says the Great Lakes ecosystem is far too valuable to jeopardize.

And he’s not willing to wait for the Army Corps of engineers to come up with new recommendations to prevent the spread of the fish.

“I helped get funding for the first electronic barrier in the region in 2006, so here we are in 2011, five years later, and they’re saying they need another five years," Camp says. "And it would seem to me an imminent threat to the world’s largest body of fresh water could be addressed sooner than 10 years.”

Businesses that use the Great Lakes for shipping say shutting down a portion of the Missisippi River network near Chicago would disrupt business nationwide.