WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

Last week researchers presented evidence that invasive Asian carp species may be at the Great Lakes' doorstep. The upper Lakes may not support a carp explosion, however, and the jury is out on what their impact could be. Still, scientists urge caution.

The carp’s march up the Mississippi River basin even surmounted electric barriers set up by the Army Corps of Engineers to keep them out of Chicago waterways. A new study in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences affirms that if the fish haven’t reached the Great Lakes yet, they’re very close.

Ecosystems are dynamic, like our own lives. But sometimes, non-gradual change forces things to a tipping point and the ecosystem cannot adapt. 

Illinois officials hope they can make progress on two different problems by feeding Asian carp to hungry families.The invasive species of fish has been added to the state's "Target Hunger Now!" program, which encourages hunters and fishermen to donate food to the needy.

More than a dozen waterway operators met with the new U.S.

In Leelanau County in Northern Michigan, a small American Indian tribe has struggled for generations to survive economic and social hardships. The tribe has always been deeply connected to the lakes economically and culturally.