BAY CITY -- "They're a threat to the boats, they're a threat to the other fish; our native fish,” said Don Dearden as he enjoyed a sunny Tuesday afternoon on the Bay City water front, overlooking the Saginaw River.
Once an avid fisherman, Dearden shared his displeasure with the US Supreme Court refusing to take up a motion filed by several Midwestern attorneys general including Michigan’s Mike Cox, which would close locks in the Chicago-area.
The goal is to stop the Asian Carp from getting into the Great Lakes, but for the second time the Supreme Court refused to hear a motion taking up the issue.
That has state and federal authorities considering other alternatives, including “hunting the fish, using electronic (detection),” said Dr. Annette Rummel, who leads the Great Lakes Bay Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“I think that closing the locks in Chicago was the ideal situation,” she said. “It was the separation of the two environments.”
Another alternative is to have the Chicago-area water locks ordered closed by legislation in Congress. U.S. Rep. Dave Camp (R-Midland) and Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow introduced legislation in the House and Senate respectively to close the locks, while working out solutions. This move has been opposed by many state leaders in Illinois, and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels over concerns of flooding.
