"River Town on Front Line of Asian Carp Invasion"

"SPRING VALLEY, Ill. -- While Midwest lawmakers and the White House ratchet up efforts to keep Asian carp out of Lake Michigan, boating and fishing communities up and down the Illinois River are under siege.

In Peoria and farther downstate, invasive bighead and silver carp are so abundant that they're out-competing native fish for food, disrupting spawning habits and injuring boaters and water skiers.

In Spring Valley, an old coal-mining town 100 miles southwest of Chicago, signs proclaim the city the sauger fishing capital of the world. The Illinois River is so critical to the local economy and tourism that area residents say the town might cease to exist without it."

Joel Hood reports for the Chicago Tribune February 14, 2010.

See Also:

"Asian Carp Invade Lake Michigan" (Envirkonment News Service)