By AP
CHICAGO –
An environmental coalition says the discovery of spawning Asian carp in the Wabash River in northern Indiana underscores the need for better leadership and coordination to keep the invasive fish out of the Great Lakes.
The Wabash doesn't flow into the Great Lakes. But it could flood into another river that does - the Maumee River, which flows into Lake Erie.
Last week, officials said a live carp was caught six miles from Lake Michigan.
Biologists fear the giant carp - which can grow to 4 feet and 100 pounds - could destroy the Great Lakes' $7 billion-a-year fishery by starving out native species.
Several lawmakers have introduced legislation to study a plan to permanently separate waterways linking the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes.