Can A Billion-Dollar Barricade Keep Carp Out Of The Great Lakes?

A giant infrastructure project aims to block invasive carp from entering Lake Michigan, but Chicago’s polluted water already keeps them out.

Decades ago, non-native carp were brought onto fish farms on the Mississippi River to control algae and parasites. They escaped, thrived, and eventually flooded the Illinois River, outcompeting native species and wreaking havoc. If the carp find their way into the Great Lakes, they could do major damage to those vital ecosystems.

There’s a proposed project to stop the fish—but it’s expensive, and not everyone agrees it’s the best solution. Host Flora Lichtman speaks with WBEZ and Grist reporter Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco and carp expert Cory Suski.

Guests: Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco is an environmental reporter at WBEZ and Grist. 
Dr. Cory Suski is a professor of aquatic resources at the University of Illinois.

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