Expert: Vigilance, not panic, is what's needed after Asian carp found near Lake Michigan

Stateside’s conversations with Duane Chapman, a research fish biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, and Michael Hawthorne, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune.

At the same time the Trump Administration is pushing to slash funding for the Great Lakes, a commercial fisherman has discovered a live Asian carp just nine miles from Lake Michigan.

Duane Chapman is a research fish biologist who leads Asian carp research for the U.S Geological Survey. He told Stateside how the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee is formulating its next steps.

“I wouldn’t call it a crisis, but it is definitely something that is getting your attention,” Chapman said.

Michael Hawthorne, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, also joined Stateside today to put the discovery in context.

Chicago is in many ways "ground zero" for efforts to keep Asian carp out of Lake Michigan. This adult carp was found in the Calumet River, on the wrong side of an electric barrier designed to keep the invasive species out of the Great Lakes.

Listen above to hear how officials in Chicago and on the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee are responding to this latest discovery.

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