From the Inbox: Monstrous Fish Invade our Treasured Lakes

Dear Friend, There are ravenous monsters at the gates of the Great Lakes. They’re called Asian carp — an invasive species that can grow up to four feet long, weigh up to 100 pounds and eat up to 40% of their body weight every single day. Their massive size, rapid reproduction rates and greedy appetites make it easy for them to deplete the food supply of native fish. This makes them a deadly threat to much of the Great Lakes ecosystem. Your help is urgently needed to protect the Great Lakes! Right now, Asian carp are making their way through the Chicago waterway system, looking for a way to infiltrate the lakes. Even the electrical barriers erected to keep them out can’t contain these beasts! Without immediate action, Asian carp will find a way into the Great Lakes. The ecological and economic impacts would be devastating. Native fish like lake trout, walleye, small mouth bass and other species won’t stand a chance competing for food. And the region’s $23 billion fishing and recreational boating industries will severely suffer if this happens. National Wildlife Federation has a four-pronged solution to keep the Asian carp at bay: Impede Asian carp movement through the Chicago waterway system, so that they cannot establish breeding populations in Lake Michigan. Pressure government agents to stop the flooding of rivers that seed the Chicago waterway system with invasive fish. Prevent flooding in the Wabash River, which contains Asian carp, from washing into tributaries that lead into Lake Erie. Create a permanent barrier to prevent invasive species from infiltrating the Great Lakes. These strategies make up the only real solution to the Asian carp crisis. But we must act now, before our treasured Great Lakes turn into nothing more than giant carp ponds. We’ve put together a vast team of experts whose number one priority is to stop the Asian carp invasion. But our success hinges on your support. We simply can’t do it without you. Please donate today to protect the Great Lakes and other wildlife and wild places across the nation. Sincerely, Andy Buchsbaum Regional Executive Director NWF Great Lakes Regional Center

Monstrous Asian carp threaten wildlife and people alike. Boaters have been injured when carp leap from the water and collide with boats. Some have even hit people directly! Please help stop the carp onslaught.