Wildlife officials in Chicago dumped poison in the water to stop the spread of Asian carp, an invasive species.
They're poisoning the water along a six-mile stretch of the Chicago sanitary and ship canal which flows into Lake Michigan.
Fishermen here in Northeast Wisconsin are watching closely.
This is a desolate time at "Susie Q" in Two Rivers. "This is the worst I've ever seen it in 40 years I've been fishing," president Mike LeClair said.
Invasive species are by no means a new threat here. In fact, over the past four years, business for these commercial fishermen has gone from boom to bust.
"It's pretty much taken our fishing out of business," LeClaire said.
LeClair said to this point the quagga mussel has done the most damage, taking over the bottom of the lake and starving the fish.
But it could become even worse. The latest threat is the Asian carp.
"It's not going to help anything. Definitely not going to help anything," said LeClair.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is trying to stop the invasive fish at its base while a protective barrier is shut down for repair. They're dumping thousands of gallons of a toxic chemical which will kill the fish along parts of the canal where Asian carp live.
The goal is to stop a potential spread into Lake Michigan which could have catastrophic consequences.
"They're now at the gates to the Great Lakes, and our actions over the next several days is designed to protect those gates," Illinois DNR assistant director John Rogner said.
The Illinois DNR expects up to 200,000 pounds of fish carcasses by Thursday.
Commercial fisherman all over the Great Lakes are watching this test with a close eye. It really is a last-ditch effort to help prevent the Asian carp from entering these lakes.
"I think it will stop them temporarily in order for them to get a handle on this barrier," LeClair said.
But beyond that, the migration of the Asian carp is anyone's guess.
http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=11611290
