Attorney General Van Hollen Says New Asian Carp Discoveries Confirm Necessary For Current Legal Actions

MADISON – Today, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced the discovery of Asian carp in the Wisconsin River below the Prairie du Sac Dam, and the discovery of Asian carp eDNA in the St. Croix River.

http://dnr.wi.gov/news/BreakingNews_Lookup.asp?id=2167

The Wisconsin Department of Justice is aware of this information and has been following the sampling for Asian carp in tributaries of the Mississippi River that could lead to Wisconsin waterways and to the Great Lakes, such as the Illinois River and the Chicago Waterway System. 

Attorney General Van Hollen said, "These new discoveries only confirm that Asian carp should not be allowed to invade the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River system, and reconfirms the necessity for our legal actions in the federal courts to close the link between the Chicago Waterway and the Great Lakes System."

The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in Chicago is expected to rule soon on whether the Federal District Court in Chicago improperly denied the motion of Wisconsin and other Great Lakes states to close the Chicago waterway to prevent Asian carp migration to Lake Michigan.