The Asian carp explosion has reached a dire point. Water samples from Lake Erie are now testing positive for traces of Asian Carp DNA. Of course, you can't have Asian Carp DNA without Asian Carp. So now there is definitive proof these devastating invasive species are already in the Great Lakes.
According to a joint press release from the Michigan and Ohio Departments of Natural Resources, federal and state wildlife officials working in conjunction with academic researchers announced six water samples taken from Sandusky and north Maumee bays tested positive for the presence of Asian carp environmental DNA in Michigan and Ohio waters.
"The results from these water samples are certainly concerning, as this marks the first time Asian carp eDNA has been detected in water samples from Lake Erie, or any of the Michigan waters intensively surveyed for the presence of invasive carp," said Michigan DNR fisheries division chief Jim Dexter.