The Asian carp problem the Great Lakes is facing may soon be a thing of the past. The Michigan DNR just gave one million reasons to anyone who’s willing to come up with a solution to stop the fish from reaching the Great Lakes.
That’s right. Anyone who can put a stop to the invasive fish will see their bank account grow by $1 million, thanks to a reward put on the table by the Michigan DNR.
It’s believed this pain in the butt fish, which was brought to commercial catfish ponds in the 1970’s, made its way into the wild after flooding allowed it to enter surrounding rivers.
The problem with Asian carp specifically is that they consume massive amounts of Phytoplankton and zooplankton, which many native forage species and even juvenile sport fish like walleye and yellow perch require to survive. Capable of reaching 50-pounds, the Asian carp can decimate an underwater ecosystem.
Carp aren’t only a danger to underwater life, they also pose a threat to recreational boaters and fisherman – carp tend to jump out of the water when frightened, leading to potential impact injuries.
If something isn’t done soon, both the $7 billion fishing industry and $38 billion recreation industry in the Great Lakes could be majorly disrupted. The Asian carp hasn’t made its way into the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem yet due to electric barriers in the Chicago Area Waterway System. Unfortunately, those electric barriers are literally all that’s holding them back from advancing further.
If you have an idea on how the species could be stopped, you might as well get rich in the process.
