Imported from Taiwan and brought to Arkansas as weed control agents three decades ago, Asian carp have become the poster children of potential threats to the Great Lakes. As the fish inch closer to invading Lake Michigan, regional and national politicians debate the financial consequences of coping with the invasive species. With the fate of multi-billion dollar a year industries on the line, the Obama administration has offered some fiscal support to quell the storm.

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Imported from Taiwan and brought to Arkansas as weed control agents three decades ago, Asian carp have become the poster children of potential threats to the Great Lakes. As the fish inch closer to invading Lake Michigan, regional and national politicians debate the financial consequences of coping with the invasive species. With the fate of multi-billion dollar a year industries on the line, the Obama administration has offered some fiscal support to quell the storm.

Meanwhile Michigan’s Lt. Gov. has taken his case to the Supreme Court twice, hoping for sweeping action. The conflict ignites deep-rooted water debates, including resource rights, diversion legitimacy, and long-term conservation planning. As action remains slow and debates continue, the invasive species become increasingly more threatening to the region.

The Silver Menace, or Battle for the Great Lakes

	Time Line: Charting Asian Carp’s Course Four species of Asian carp were first imported into Arkansas in the early 1970s. Since then the voracious, rapidly multiplying fish have migrated northwards, edging ever-closer to the Great Lakes. Read more…
	Congress Holds Hearing to Debate Closing Chicago-Area Locks A Great Lakes expert warned members of a U.S. House subcommittee Tuesday that closing off the canals that link Chicago to the freshwater bodies is the only way to keep invasive species like Asian carp from migrating in and out. Read more…
	Obama Administration Pledges $78.5 Million To Fight Asian Carp; Great Lakes Governors Want More Than Cash A $78.5 million pledge from the Obama administration and a plan for part-time closure of Chicago-area locks isn’t enough to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp, Michigan’s governor declared Monday. Read more…
	Video: Invasion of the Asian Carp, from the Waterlife Documentary Second fisherman: You don’t have to catch them; they get right in the boat with you. You don’t believe me, do you. Third fisherman: We get hit by ‘em all the time, hit in the head and hit in the chest. They knock glasses off and knock teeth out, everything. Yeah, they’re bad.Read more…
	Asian Carp Threat Prompts Protest Near Lake Michigan Shore Fishing enthusiasts and state representatives rallied on the banks of Traverse City’s Boardman River Saturday against Illinois’ opposition to the closure of Chicago-area locks.— Read more…
	Legal Battle Over Asian Carp in the Great Lakes Heats Up The White House responds to calls for a Great Lakes summit to protect the lakes and their $7 billion sportfishing industry from the invasive species. Photo Copyright. Read more…
	Michigan Takes Asian Carp Fight Back To the Supreme Court Michigan’s Attorney General Mike Cox has filed a new Supreme Court motion to sever the connection between the carp and the Great Lakes, saying that claims by Illinois of $190 million in annual damages from lock closures are “seriously exaggerated.” Read more…
	Supreme Court Declines To Wade Into Asian Carp Fight, Worrying Great Lakes Governors The battle over Asian carp intensified Tuesday as the U.S. Supreme Court declined to order an immediate closure of Chicago-area locks that could let the invasive fish enter the Great Lakes. Read more…
	Video: Filmmaker Kevin McMahon Tells the Story of the Great Lakes From Canadian filmmaker Kevin McMahon comes Waterlife — a cinematic survey of the state of the Great Lakes in Canada and the United States. Read more…
	Asian Carp Knocking at the Great Lakes’ Door; Michigan Attorney General Seeks To Slam It Shut New threat to the lakes reopens century-old legal battle over diversion of Great Lakes water, draws support from several states and Ontario. Read more…

Steve Kellman is a Circle of Blue writer and reporter. Reach him at [email protected].