WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP)-- Members of Congress say the recent discovery of a large Asian carp near Lake Michigan underscores the need to separate the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds in the Chicago area.
John Goss of the White House Council on Environmental Quality reported the find last week during a Great Lakes gathering in Milwaukee. He says the 53-inch, 82-pound fish was caught about a month ago in Flatfoot Lake on the Illinois-Indiana state line.
The lake is landlocked but very close to the Calumet River, which flows into Lake Michigan.
Republican Representative Dave Camp and Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan issued statements Tuesday repeating their call for permanent barriers between Lake Michigan and Chicago canals and rivers to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp and other invasive species.
