It was two strikes and you’re out for Michigan as the U.S. Supreme Court has refused that state’s second request for an injunction to close two navigational locks at Chicago that might allow Asian carp entry into the Great Lakes.
Though the court didn’t elaborate on its decision to deny the injunction, one obvious reason is that Michigan’s lawyers didn’t make an effective case for stopping commercial shipping in and out of Chicago’s industrial waterfront. Also, the court is expected to address the issue of interstate use of the Great Lakes in broader terms in April when it opens deliberations on a second Michigan injunction request, which involves the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal that connects the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan.
Silver carp, one of four Asian carp species, are known for their propensity to leap high out of the water at the approach of a boat. Asian carp are considered hazards to fishermen and other boaters in some rivers of the upper Mississippi River watershed. Likewise, state game and fish agencies, as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are concerned that the fish pose a threat to biodiversity throughout the Great Lakes region. Though Asian carp – bighead and silver carp, essentially are vegetarians that thrive on microscopic zooplankton and other algae, conservationists say the fish will disrupt the food chain. Juvenile game fish, commercially desirable fish and forage fish share the same dietary requirements of Asian carp, which are prolific breeders.
