DEFENDING THE GRAND RIVER FROM ASIAN CARP

Yesterday's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story "Biologists patrol the Grand to block Asian carp". These biologists working for the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) are attempting to scare the Asian carp into gill nets placed in the Grand River down near the mouth at Dunnville. Knowing the size of the Grand River at its' mouth I'm a little skeptical that they are going to do much more than perhaps catch a representative sample or two. The other hope is that dams along the Grand River may also impede the spread of Asian carp.

As recently as a year ago the hope was to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes by stopping the spread from the Mississippi River basin. This included canals in the Chicago area. At this point in time two fish have been caught in the Grand River alone which makes it clear that they have made their way into the Great lakes. Perhaps it's a case of too little too late. These carp are but one more example of invasive species taking up residence in Canada.