Asian carp could be golden spike in Great Lakes’ coffin

Dear Editor,

I am a third-generation commercial fisherman, and have watched and lived the pain that these wonderful lakes are experiencing. Unfortunately, the negative events the lakes are experiencing have been caused by the intelligence (or lack thereof) of mankind.

Once again, from my wheelhouse chair I sit and watch as, even with the warning signs up about the carp for the last several years, nothing really gets done until it’s too late. The system mankind has developed to “manage” our natural resources has once again failed us and the Great Lakes. Even after the facts are before us, nothing gets done.

It started with the seaway, allowing invasives in from overseas, and now they’re invading from the back end of the lakes via a manmade sanitary canal. The lakes are now under siege-directly related to man allowing things to operate at the status quo (for the benefit of big business) at the expense of our magnificent lakes and what they had to offer.

With the dramatic change in the lower end of the food chain (documented to have been caused by the European invasives) most of the Great Lakes native species are in serious trouble-the carp will certainly be another nail in the coffin, if not the golden spike. The food chain problems have been directly linked to the population problems that our commercial species have had and continue to have. In nature, everything is dependent on the start of the food chain. Once our commercial species fail, the sport and recreational species will soon follow. So how can we continue to let this happen?

The status quo is not acceptable. Unfortunately, as a shepherd of the herd of fish out here, I think it’s all too late. The Anderson family will not have a fourth-generation Great Lakes commercial fisherman, unless it’s fishing for invasive species (maybe as a type of bounty hunter)-soon that’s all that will be available. Only if they can figure out how to survive after all the native species are completely displaced.

Daniel Anderson

President, Paragon Fish Corporation

5405 S. 23rd St.

Milwaukee, Wis.

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