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Maritime News

Carping about dangers of new electric barrier in shipping canal

Posted on Aug 20, 2009

The alarming spread of invasive Asian carp up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers has the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers working to improve a new electric barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal near Romeoville.

The Asian carp were originally imported as a way to naturally clean commercial catfish ponds in the south, but were unintentionally introduced to the Mississippi River when some ponds flooded. The carp are considered invasive because they grow to a very large size (up to 4 feet long and 100 pounds) and consume food that native fish depend on to survive.

Officials and researchers worry that if the carp reach Lake Michigan the sports-fishing industry on all of the Great Lakes could be seriously compromised, leading to billion dollar losses.

However, the new electric barrier has some concerned for waterway safety. When operating at full output, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers worries that the barrier could emit sparks, endangering barge workers traveling with explosive cargo like gasoline.

Due to concerns the barrier has only been operating at 25 percent capacity, and may be raised to fifty percent capacity over concerns that the Asian carp are getting close and won’t be stopped by a weak electric current. Barge operators are concerned that even 50 percent of the barrier’s total power output won’t be safe for their cargo and crews.