Asian carp were introduced to the southern U.S. in the 1970s in an effort to filter fish ponds. Unfortunately, they escaped into the wild, and as you can see from the map below, they’ve wasted no time spreading throughout the great river systems at the heart of the country.
According to the latest science, the Great Lakes are ideal habitat for Asian carp, so those big blue lakes up north are in serious danger of turning red. And with the Chicago Area Waterway System as the most likely route for invasion, steps must be taken to protect the invaluable Great Lakes and their many precious tributaries.
This map makes one thing abundantly clear – Asian carp and invasive species are a national problem, and we are going to need a solution scaled to the level of that problem. We need leadership, vision, and coordination between all levels of government and the private sector.
