Aquatic Invasive Species

As I wrote on January 14, concerns have been growing over the possibility of Asian carp entering the Great Lakes. Scientists at the University of Notre Dame have been maintaining an environmental DNA monitoring program in the waterways around Chicago. In the Fall Asian carp DNA was found in the Cal-Sag channel (see map at the end of this article), and now, according to this Chicago Tribune article, Asian carp DNA has been found in Lake Michigan. As stated in the article, the DNA identification does not necessarily indicate the definite occurrence of a live specimen; the DNA could have come from the sewer system or transport of carp feces. However, the scientist in charge of the DNA analysis spoke at the Chicago meeting I attended last week, and he stated that it was very unlikely that the DNA came from these other pathways.