It’s a species that’s been swimming in the Mississippi River for more than 30 years and now, it could threaten fishing areas near the Great Lakes. Asian carp are now making their way up north and have been spotted near Lake Michigan.

OSWEGO, N.Y. — In Oswego, fishing is one of the main draws to the area. And tourism officials would like to keep it that way by keeping Asian carp out of Lake Ontario.
“They eat the eggs, they eat the young fish and they also eat the zoo plankton, which is the bottom of the food chain for all the organisms in the lake,” said Oswego County Tourism and Planning Director David Turner.

The invasive species, which can grow to be 100 pounds, has been in the Mississippi River for many years. But now the fish are on the move, which has everyone concerned they could get into the Great Lakes.

“We certainly feel this is a huge issue for the Great Lakes and want to do everything we can them out and then we’re very concerned about what could happen if they become very abundant,” said Department of Environmental Conservation Fisheries William Culligan.

“If they get here, it’s going to be a problem. Hopefully the government will step in and do the right thing and close off the canal system,” said Larry’s Oswego Salmon Shop owner Larry Muroski.

That’s one option that could keep the fish at bay. Right now an electronic fence set up by the Army Corps of Engineers is preventing the fish from entering Lake Michigan. But some want the fence taken down, opening the canal to commercial traffic.

“Some people are going to be displaced by this action. Will it be people in the barge industry in the state of Illinois or will it be thousands of people in the tourism and sport fishing industry throughout all the great lakes? That’s the question here,” said Turner.

If the fish get into the Great Lakes, it would still take them awhile before they make it to Lake Ontario, which is why people think it’s important to take action on this issue while there’s still time.

“If we don’t stop this before it happens, there will be no stopping it once it happens,” said Turner.

“It’ll be awhile before they get here. The impact will be great, or it could be another species to catch also,” said Muroski.

But this is one species that could take a big bite out of the fishing industry and the economy in Oswego County.