3 state attorneys favour walling off Great Lakes to stop carp

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Attorneys general from three states say a $275 million federal plan for keeping Asian carp from migrating into the Great Lakes is too pricey and rejects the most effective solution.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is recommending technologies such as electric barriers and water cannons at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois, which stands between the carp-infested Illinois River and Lake Michigan.

Attorneys general Bill Schuette of Michigan, Lori Swanson of Minnesota and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania say a better way is replacing the lock gates with a concrete wall that would divide the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds. That would cost only about $5.9 million.

They say the Corps plan favours the needs of shipping companies over those of the Great Lakes fishing industry.