Problem With Electric Fence Meant To Block Asian Carp From Great Lakes: Fish Can Swim Through It

[hatrack]

The electric barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal that is considered the last line of defense to stop an Asian carp invasion of Lake Michigan has a problem: Fish can swim through it.

A new report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reveals that fish can be transported across the electrified swath of canal when they get trapped in the wake of a barge.

Research also shows that the metal barges can essentially suck electricity out of the water as they motor through the barrier zone, creating a moving "bubble" of water that isn't pulsing with the intended electrical current.

The study also revealed that small fish are not always incapacitated by the electrical current in the water. In fact, a sonar camera lowered into the canal at the barrier site regularly captured schools of fish swimming freely through the barrier. States the report: "Initial findings indicate that vessel-induced residual flows can trap fish and transport them beyond the electrical barriers, and that certain barge configurations may impact barrier electric field strength. Additionally, the preliminary (sonar camera) findings identified the potential for small fish (between 2-4 inches in length) to pass the barrier array in large groups, or schools."

EDIT

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/report-fish-swim-past-electric-barrier-meant-to-block-asian-carp-b99170326z1-237051941.html

[safeinOhio]

1. It's all useless.

Years ago I was fishing in a small pond in a state forest. A game officer stopped by to check my license and we started chatting. I asked if the state stocked every small pond and he said no. He said they didn't really have to, the eggs of fish are spread to about all bodies of water on the feet of ducks and geese.