Live Asian carp discovered beyond electric barrier, six miles from Lake Michigan

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GRAND RAPIDS -- A live Asian carp was discovered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Tuesday beyond electric barriers designed to keep them out of the Great Lakes.

"I am extremely disappointed at this discovery," said U.S. Rep. Vern Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids, today about the carp found in Lake Calumet, about six miles downstream from Lake Michigan."

While the electric barriers may have slowed the spread of the invasive fish into Lake Michigan, Ehlers said, it is unequivocally clear today that they are not enough to prevent Asian carp from spreading into the Great Lakes.

He is urging the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee to continue active sampling for live Asian carp and to immediately take whatever actions are necessary to remove them from Lake Calumet and the surrounding waterways.

"It is time for a permanent solution to prevent any more Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes," Ehlers said.