The carp are coming! The carp are coming!

For some time we've heard stories about the possibility that yet another invasive species could establish a population in Lake Erie and potentially devastate the fishery here. This time the culprit is the Asian Carp.

This story, posted yesterday on the website Lake Scientist, offers a good summary of the concerns and issues. There seem to be a lot of people working on this one. No doubt millions will be spent on a solution. It might work, it might not. But this is nature we're talking about. To quote a line from the movie Deep Blue Sea, "If she wants in, she's coming."

Invasive species like the Asian Carp are nothing new to the lake. It has survived the Sea Lamprey, the Gody, and the Zebra Mussel. Though I hear these Asian Carp are pretty nasty fellows. They say one swallow a Personal Watercraft whole. (Hmmm. Maybe these things aren't so bad after all.)


Well I'm not worried a bit one little bit. Lake Erie has taken pretty much everything man or nature can throw at it. We've dumped sewage into it and pretty much every toxic chemical known to man. Heck, we even bomb it. Make no mistake about it - Lake Erie is one tough body of water.


So I say, bring it on, carp. Bring it. Good ole' Lake Erie will kick your ass and hand it to you for breakfast. And laugh.


Kidding aside, you can do something to stop the Asian Carp invasion. Michigan's attorney general, Mike Cox, is taking an aggressive stand and has a website for those willing to be more proactive.