Asian carp with a white bass_20100119113922_JPG

Asian Big Head Carp swim, with a White Bass, bottom center, in an exhibit at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010, in Chicago.

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Activists ask Congress to protect lakes

Asian carp could invade Great Lakes

Updated: Tuesday, 09 Feb 2010, 7:58 PM EST
Published : Tuesday, 09 Feb 2010, 7:58 PM EST

(AP) -- Scientists and environmentalists say the only sure way to keep Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes is to permanently separate them from the Mississippi River basin.

They told a congressional panel Tuesday in Washington that the Obama administration's $78.5 million strategy for blocking the carp's advance is a stopgap plan at best.

Michael Hansen, chairman of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, said the large, hungry carp probably could tolerate the lakes' cold temperatures and find plenty of plankton to eat.

He said the goal of any carp control program should be closing off man-made waterways linking the lakes and the Mississippi system.

Administration officials say the government strategy released Monday has a good chance of preventing carp from gaining a foothold in the lakes.

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